


In Another Lifetime

by previouslyonavatar



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-03-18 15:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3574124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/previouslyonavatar/pseuds/previouslyonavatar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Aang dies long before he can defeat the Fire Lord, Katara and Sokka do everything in their power to save the new Avatar and hide her from the Fire Nation. Long after the Fire Nation wins the war, they plan to fight back and liberate the world once again.<br/>-<br/>AU where Korra is born earlier because Aang died. Characters from The Legend of Korra will also appear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

More than three weeks had passed now since Aang's death, and Katara still had trouble believing it.  
She woke up every single morning expecting to see him next to her, or to hear his cheerful laughter every time Sokka cracked a joke. It always took her a moment to remember, and every day the pain was as vivid as it had been since the beginning.  
Aang would never laugh again, and Sokka had stopped making jokes. Even Appa had been restless, unable to understand the situation. The whole group had fallen apart. All laughter and joy seemed to have died with Aang, and the world had become a bleak and dull place.  
Every night she dreamed about him, and even while awake she couldn't get rid of the memories. No matter how much she tried to distract herself, she couldn't stop revisiting the final terrible moment that haunted her. The sound of Aang's last scream was in her ears, the image of his crumpled body on the ground burned into her eyes. 

It was all general Fong's fault. He and his men had attacked Aang in an attempt to trigger the Avatar State, an attempt which went disastrously wrong. It still seemed impossible to Katara that Aang had been killed by something as common as earthbending. After everything Aang had done, every impossible enemy he had defeated, Aang had died at the hands of someone who was supposed to be his ally.

Even though she knew the general was to blame, Katara also blamed herself. She had been against it from the start. She should have pushed harder. She should have insisted they leave. She should have been there earlier. Why had she decided not to watch again? Why hadn't she been there? She was a healer, what use did her powers have if she couldn't even use them to save him?

But she had been too slow, too shocked, and too terrified to react in time. She hadn't remembered the spirit water until it was too late. When she had finally used it, it hadn't had any effect on his small, still body. Still, she hadn't stopped trying to heal him until Sokka pulled her away. By that time, Aang's body had been ice cold to her touch.

Katara shook her head to clear her mind. Her eyes were stinging with tears. They often did these days, but she hardly ever let the tears flow. Crying wouldn't bring him back, she told herself, nothing would. 

It was still early in the morning and Sokka was curled up in his sleeping bag. Katara felt a pang of jealousy, her night had been restless, tossing and turning, lost in her thoughts. It wasn't fair to resent him, she knew. He was doing the best he could. Every day, Sokka tried to keep her spirits up. He kept talking to her, even as she barely reacted. Every time a chore needed to be done, Sokka did it without complaint. Sometimes he looked at her in a way that told her he wanted to talk to her, discuss what had happened and even talk about what to do next. But every time Katara saw that look on his face, she turned away. If they moved on and made a new plan, it would feel like leaving Aang behind for good. Like they were accepting his death, moving past it and forgetting him, just like almost everyone else in the world would. Katara couldn’t bear that. Not yet. Maybe never.

A jolt of surprise went through her as Sokka suddenly spoke from his curled up position.

“Katara? We have to talk.” He said, slowly sitting up. One look at his face showed her that he hadn’t been asleep at all. He looked terrible, just like she probably did. Now that he was no longer trying to make her feel better by giving her space, she could see the effects the past two weeks had had on him. He was unshaven, his hair was unkempt and he had dark circles under his eyes that rivaled her own. Most of all, she noticed his eyes. They were hollow and sad, like her own, but there was something else there. A certain determination hers no longer held. She knew she couldn’t escape this conversation any longer but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try.

“I don’t want to talk, Sokka.”

He sighed. “I know that and I'm sorry but we have to. The world still needs us, Katara.”

His tone of voice told her that he meant what he said, and Katara felt a surge of anger course through her body. It was the first strong emotion she had felt since Aang’s death. Everything since then had been clouded by grief and despair. Now, her anger felt clear and sharp.

“No it doesn’t!” She shouted, getting up from where she had been sitting. “The world needed us when we were helping Aang. Aang is GONE. He’s gone forever and there’s nothing we can do now, Sokka. We’re just two kids! Without him, there is no more hope!”

She choked on a sob that had begun building in her throat as soon as she had started talking. Katara put her hands over her face, her shoulders shaking with each harsh sob. “He’s gone.” She whispered to herself as the tears ran down her face. “What else can we do, Sokka? We had one task and we failed.”

Sokka's arms were around her in an instant. Gratefully, Katara leaned against him as he held her close to his chest.

“I know.” He whispered, his own voice betraying his emotion. His hand gently stroked her back as he spoke. “I know he’s gone, I know I failed him.” She wanted to protest but he kept talking. “I was for it, remember? I told him to go for it.” He swallowed thickly and Katara could tell he was fighting his own tears. “Aang is gone because of me. Maybe we can’t save the world together, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to help. We owe him that much.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Katara protested in a quiet voice. “I should have been faster, I should have healed him--”

Sokka grabbed her shoulders firmly, cutting her off. “Katara, blaming ourselves isn’t going to help anyone. We can still do something. We can help the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes fight the Fire Nation, the war isn’t over yet.” His grip on her shoulders loosened a little. “And there’s one more thing we can do, something even more important, something Aang would only trust us to do.”

Katara gazed at her brother in confusion. What could possibly be more important than defeating the Fire Lord and stopping the war? Her unspoken question was answered before she could ask it.

“We have to protect the next Avatar. Only we can do that. I know it’s what we’re supposed to do.”

For a stunned second, Katara didn’t understand what he was saying. Her brother had never believed in destiny, not like she had, but here he was, telling her that they were meant to do something huge. The way he spoke left her without a doubt, he truly believed this is what they were supposed to do. It wasn't even anything she had considered. Of course, she knew there was going to be a new Avatar after Aang, but she had pushed the thought away every time it came up. Even thinking about this strange new person that would take Aang’s title and place in the world made her feel a mix of anger and guilt. Acknowledging them would be accepting that he was gone and worse, that he was replaceable. No new Avatar would fill the hole he had left inside her heart. Besides, a baby that wouldn’t be a proper Avatar for years wasn’t of any use in the war. It would almost definitely be over before they were even able to walk.

“It’s too late, Sokka. This... new Avatar won’t be of any help, you know that. It’s over.”

Sokka shook his head, the determined expression not wavering. “No. Katara. I’m not saying we can use this new Avatar to win the war." He looked troubled. "The war is most likely over at this point, only Aang could have stopped it in time. What I’m saying is that we need to save the new Avatar from the Fire Nation. They’re going to come after them and either kill them or try to use them. We can’t let that happen.”

“There’s nothing we can do about that.” Katara said shortly, crossing her arms in front of her and looking away. “The Fire Nation isn't going to rest until they find the new Avatar. After they win the war, there won't be anywhere to hide. We can’t protect a baby from the Fire Nation, Sokka. You know Fire Lord Ozai won’t rest until they find them.”

“Not if they think there isn’t a next Avatar.”

“What?”

Sokka actually grinned at her stunned expression. “I have an idea.” His voice was eager and excited and it was obvious that he had been thinking this over for a while. Maybe even the entire time since Aang's death. It startled Katara to realize that Sokka hadn’t given up like she had, it made her mourning feel weaker by comparison.

“Idea? What are you talking about?”

“Look, the world at large isn’t completely aware of Aang’s death yet. But that won’t last long, someone from General Fong’s army is going to talk and then the game is up. We need to spread our own information before the truth comes out.”

“What? You want to pretend he’s alive?” That felt wrong, besides, there was no way they could keep that up for long.

“No. I want to pretend he died while in the Avatar State. It’s not too far from the truth, General Fong tried to force him into the Avatar state, that information will leak out too. If we say he died while in the Avatar state, the story will still make sense. When the news reaches the Fire Nation, they'll think there is no new Avatar and that the cycle has been broken. They’ll still look to be sure, but if they think they won’t find anything they’ll give up eventually.” He paused, still smiling. “Brilliant, right?”

“I-- I suppose.” Katara replied quietly. The idea did make sense, but what good would it do?

"But Sokka, even if we managed to protect the Avatar and somehow help them learn the elements, would it do any good? By then the Fire Nation will be in charge everywhere. What good can a new Avatar do then?”

Sokka was silent for a little while. “The world is never going to be completely in the hands of the Fire Nation, Katara. It’s not how things are supposed to be. A new Avatar could help bring back balance, even if it’s late. I don’t think it’ll ever really be too late to change things back. We can’t just accept it as inevitable.”

Katara couldn't deny that he had a good point, there was something they could do. She looked down and finally let herself say what was really holding her back. “Sokka, we’d have to tell people that the Avatar is never coming back. People all over the world, we can’t do that to them.” Her voice broke. “We can’t make them lose hope like we have. It’s not fair.”

“I know.” He said quietly, releasing his grip on her shoulders. “But it’s the only thing I could come up with. It’s not fair, but neither is the truth. The Fire Nation doesn’t care about what’s fair, we have to do this.”

Katara met her brother’s eyes again and knew with a sense of dread that he was right. They couldn’t help Aang anymore, but they could do this.

\---

Spreading the news of Aang’s death was the hardest thing Katara had ever done. She and Sokka traveled on Appa to different villages across the Earth Kingdom and delivered the half truth they had agreed on. The lie about the details of his death was a small one but the implications were huge. She could see it in every face staring up at them every time she described how he fell in the Avatar State. Almost every single time someone spoke up and asked if they were sure, really sure. Katara had to watch the last flicker of hope disappear from their eyes as she confirmed it again, her voice shaking. They visited places they’d passed on their way to the North Pole but also new villages and towns. A handful of times they noticed Fire Nation soldiers as they listened silently in the back of the crowds. As much as she hated the sight of them, she was glad the news was spreading beyond the Earth Kingdom. It came as a small surprise that they never attempted to attack or capture her and Sokka. Katara supposed that without Aang, they were nothing to Fire Nation. The real threat was gone, they were just two Water Tribe kids. Somehow, this gave her the strength to keep going. After every emotionally exhausting day she clung to the hope that the Fire Nation would lower their guard with the Avatar out of the way, that their chance to fight back would still come. She rarely talked about it with her brother but she knew they were united in this.

Slowly, the way they were received in the villages and towns changed. Instead of seeing happy, hopeful faces of people pointing up at Appa as they descended, she saw the disappointment in their expressions before they turned away. That is how they knew the news was spreading without their help, and that their work was done. Their next task was to head back to the South Pole to begin their search for the next Avatar. As they packed their supplies on top of Appa for the last time, she knew they would slowly be forgotten by the world, they’d go back and blend in with the others of their tribe. Absentmindedly, she stroked Appa’s fur as she contemplated this. The Bison grumbled, he hadn’t been the same since Aang’s death. She had tried to explain it to him but she wasn’t sure if he understood. Sometimes he looked around hopefully, expecting Aang to pop up somewhere. It crushed her heart every time. 

Katara shook her head, moving away from Appa to put on her fur cloak. The thought of going back home to Gran Gran had never felt so bleak before. Their adventure was really over, their mission a failure, and the future only held uncertainty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little timeskip! The war is now over and won by the Fire Nation without Aang being there to stop it.

_Four years later_

Leaving the toasty, comfortable warmth of her cozy little hut to traipse outside in the snow for hours was always the hardest part of her search. As soon as Katara closed the door behind her, she wanted nothing more than to go back inside. Instead, she started to make her way towards the edge of the small village. The hard, packed snow on the ground crunched under her boots with each step she took while lighter snowflakes danced around her hair and brushed against her face. 

On the path that lead out of the village into the even harsher environment outside it, she encountered the same Fire Nation soldiers she saw every time she made this trip. There weren’t many in the South Pole, at least, not as many as she had expected the first time they had arrived after the war was lost. With no waterbending activity in the area, there was little of interest to the Fire Nation. Katara suspected that the soldiers that the Fire Nation sent this way were either incompetent or being punished in some way. As she passed them, she clutched her basket a little tighter. It was her cover, her reason for venturing out this late and knocking on seemingly random doors in the small, scattered villages she passed through. The basket was visibly filled with Water Tribe food, little offerings she could give the small families she visited every other week. Only one of the soldiers even noticed her, he gave her a short glance before looking away again. Not once had she been questioned about her whereabouts while out on her biweekly run, the soldiers simply didn’t care. To them, the people of the Southern Water Tribe were simple minded peasants with strange, barbaric customs that weren't worth trying to understand. Once, she had heard one of the soldiers muttering under his breath, wondering if the people here simply didn’t feel the freezing cold as he watched her pass into the deeper snow outside the village. She had pretended not to hear.

The village next to Katara's was only a small distance away. Once long ago, her grandmother used to tell her, all the small villages scattered around the South Pole had been one big city. No matter how much Katara had tried as a child, she had never been able to picture it. Now, she supposed it must be similar to the Northern Water Tribe. Four years ago, when there was still a spark of happiness and hope in her life, Waterbenders from their sister tribe had traveled to the south with plans to help the tribe rebuild. Their influence hadn’t reached very far before the Fire Nation set foot on the South Pole. The Waterbenders that weren’t captured were driven away, back to the relative safety of the north, and as far as Katara knew, she was once more the only waterbender left in the south, knowledge she kept safely hidden. Many of the men that left during the war hadn’t returned either, a fair amount had joined Earth Kingdom rebel groups in an attempt to keep fighting, and others had simply perished on the day of the comet. Of course, there were a few men who had returned to their families after the war was lost, but not nearly enough to fix all the broken families the war had left. The fate of Katara's own father was unknown to her, she hadn’t heard anything from him in the last few years but she didn’t know if he was dead or simply unable to contact her. The best she dared to hope for was that he had been captured but was still alive.

It was no wonder the Fire Nation barely paid attention, with almost no one but women and children around. The few soldiers stationed in the villages were nothing more than a formality. Reminders to the remaining people of the Southern Water Tribe that not even the remote, cold lands that their people had inhabited for generations were out of the Fire Nation’s control. 

Katara blended in seamlessly. Without Appa or anything else that would visibly connect her to Aang, nobody outside of her Tribe recognized her as the Avatar’s friend. To be on the safe side, she had moved away from her grandmother into another nearby village. She suspected that this precaution was ultimately useless, apparently nobody in the Fire Nation bothered to remember her or Sokka, they might as well have died along with Aang.

Thinking of her brother made her chest ache, she hoped he was still safe. When Katara returned home, she and Sokka had parted ways as he travelled to the north. The Northern Water Tribe was officially under the Fire Nation’s control, but they had come to an agreement in which they were largely left alone as long as they supplied the Fire Nation with everything they desired. It couldn’t be easy on the people there, having to work harder to supply the nation that had hurt so many people, but she felt certain that they still had more comfortable lives than the people in the south. 

Over there, Sokka did basically the same thing as she did. He also went to visit families with young children, children that had been born around the time Aang had died. To be on the safe side, they had decided to narrow it down to a time period of around a month, since neither of them was sure how long it took for the Avatar Spirit to find it’s next human body. Unlike Katara, Sokka traveled between the tribes occasionally, so that the two of them could remain in contact. They had a secret point where Sokka could dock his boat and they would exchange news. There was never much to tell, though, they were both waiting for the same thing. If, one day, Sokka failed to return, she was to take it as a sign that he had found the next Avatar and moved them to the secret location they had agreed on, a fairly abandoned area of the Earth Kingdom that nobody seemed very interested in. Similarly, if Sokka came and found her gone, he would assume the same, and whichever one of them was left behind would travel to meet them there. 

Katara kept a boat prepared for this exact occasion, and she had no doubt that she would have to use it eventually. Even though the chances of a Waterbender being born in the north were far greater, a part of Katara was convinced that the next Avatar would be born here. It had been too silly to tell Sokka but she felt that Aang’s spirit would return here, to the place where they had met for the first time.

\---

The first few houses she visited were the same as they always were. All of the families Katara visited with her basket consisted only of a mother and one or several children. Many of the men who had been too young to leave when the older men did, had still left four years ago after the Avatar had fallen, hoping in vain that their contribution to the fight would somehow stop the war. Sadly, this had only resulted in many young children who would have to grow up without a father.

The mothers were always relieved to see her, both because the small rations Katara could provide were immensely helpful in these times of need, and because they could tell her how their child had still shown no sign of bending of any kind. She had shared the precious secret of the Avatar’s return only with them, it would be impossible to explain her interest otherwise and the mothers had to be prepared for the possible consequences. If any of the children showed signs of being the Avatar, the safest course of action would be to take the child far away from where the Fire Nation would expect them to be. It would draw too much attention if an entire family simply disappeared, so Katara had explained to every mother how important it was for the safety of the world and their child, that the Avatar would go with her. Even though they understood, every single one of the mothers dreaded this the most. No matter how important the Avatar’s return was for the world, they all hoped it would be someone else’s child.

Knocking on the last door of her run, Katara was already imagining herself back in her hut by the fire getting some well deserved rest, when the door opened. As soon as Katara saw the expression on Senna’s face, she knew they had found the one. Senna’s daughter was the new Avatar.

\---

The conversation that followed once Katara was inside wasn’t easy. Even though Senna had known about the possibility, her little daughter Korra hadn’t. It took every ounce of restraint Katara had not to start crying as she watched the two of them. Senna was trying to explain the situation, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t keep her lips from trembling. Korra was stubborn, refusing to leave. Even though the little girl tried to look angry and intimidating as she looked at Katara, there was a flicker of fear in her eyes. Katara knew how she must look to this girl, the strange woman who wanted to take her away. She couldn’t help herself, as she observed the girl she searched for any sign of Aang. Everything about this girl seemed completely opposite from him, and Katara didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed about that.

Korra’s attention went back to her mother, her stubborn face slipping slightly. “Is this because I set the curtains on fire?” She asked in a small voice, her lips trembling. “I won’t do it again, I promise.”

Senna gently touched her daughter’s face and shook her head, but she was choked up and seemed unable to say anything. Katara tried to ignore her crushing guilt, who was she to separate a child from her mother? No amount of reminding herself of how important this was would ever make her feel any better, she was certain of that.

Taking a deep breath, Katara knelt in front of the girl. Korra didn’t react, giving Katara the same hard look she had before. Katara smiled kindly and started to talk in a pleasant tone. “Your name is Korra, right?”

The girl nodded silently, staying close to her mother and watching the strange young woman warily.

Katara kept smiling. “You are the new Avatar, which makes you very special. There are bad people who would like to take you away and it’s very important for you to go somewhere safe. If you come with us, they can’t find you. My brother and I will keep you safe, I promise.”

Korra seemed to consider this for a moment before answering. “Why can’t my mom come too?” She asked, frowning at Katara.

Senna spoke up, touching her daughter’s hair gently. “Sweetheart, if I go too the bad people will be more likely to notice we left, do you understand?” She smiled at Korra but her eyes were filled with sadness. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. Someone has to stay here to wait for dad, right?”

A small tremble in Korra’s lower lip was the only indication of how close she was to crying. Katara supposed she didn’t want to burst into tears in front of a stranger. It made her feel even worse. That’s exactly what she was -- a stranger. Somehow this had never really occurred to her, she had imagined that she and the new Avatar would have a connection, that it would be a younger version of Aang. Could she really keep this girl safe? Could she raise a child when she was little more than a child herself? There were plenty of women her age in the tribe with children, true, but none of them had suddenly adopted a willful four year old and retreated with her to the wilderness for safety.

Taking a deep breath, Katara stood up. “I’ll wait outside while you get ready.” She said softly, addressing both Senna and Korra. There was enough she was intruding on without being present for their final goodbye. Katara was determined to find a way to reunite Korra with her mother one day, but there was no way of knowing what the future would hold, and they had to be completely safe. Senna would give the tribe a cover story about her daughter’s disappearance for now, most likely about a tragic accident. It was the last thing Katara wanted, to give the poor woman another burden to bear because of their departure, but as with so many things, she hadn’t seen another way out.

When she left the room, Senna was holding her daughter tight and whispering to her gently. It reminded Katara so strongly of her mother, also taken away from her too soon, that she was glad to be alone for a few moments to wipe away her own tears.

\---

An hour later Katara and Korra were on their way to the secret place Katara had hidden the boat. Only one bag was enough to hold all of Korra’s belongings, and Katara was carrying it while the girl walked behind her. She had offered her hand, thinking Korra might find it comforting to hold her hand while they walked through the snow, but the girl had stubbornly refused. They walked in silence, Katara occasionally glanced at the younger girl, wishing she knew what to say. Korra’s face was barely visible underneath all the fur she was wearing to keep warm but Katara could see she was looking straight ahead.

The walk to the boat was longer from Korra’s home than it had been from her own hut, the journey lengthened by the fact that they had to avoid going through any of the villages. It was best if they weren’t seen together by anyone, there was no point in taking even the smallest chance. Despite the long walk, not a single complaint passed Korra’s lips, not even when the snow started to come down harder. It wasn’t until she noticed how much the girl was shivering that Katara stopped, kneeling to be face to face with her. “Are you alright? It’s not much further, I promise.” She said softly.

Korra didn’t meet her eyes, looking stubbornly at the ground. “I’m fine.” She said, though her voice shook from how much she was trembling.

Inwardly cursing herself, Katara adjusted Korra’s warm clothes, trying to make sure they covered as much skin as possible. Her anxiety grew as she realized that protecting Korra didn’t just mean protecting her from the Fire Nation. How had she never considered that before? She felt incredibly unprepared as she fussed over Korra’s coat, her own hands shaking from reasons that had nothing to do with the cold.

Just as she considered just carrying the girl the last few miles, she heard a noise behind them. Whirling around, she immediately spotted the Fire Nation soldier that had been following them at a small distance. Her blood chilled. If she hadn’t stopped, she might never have noticed him.  
When the man realized he had been spotted he drew himself up taller and walked over to them purposefully. Katara wanted desperately to run away but she knew that would only make him suspicious. They needed to get out of this without a confrontation, if that was even possible. 

“What are you two doing out here so late?” The soldier asked when he got closer. He towered over Katara and she felt Korra shrink back against her leg. 

“We’re just taking a walk.” Katara said, trying to sound braver than she felt. 

The soldier’s eyes darted briefly to their luggage and Katara knew she wouldn’t get out of it that easily. She resisted the urge to step back as the man came even closer, frowning down at them suspiciously. 

“There’s nothing in that direction but ocean.” He said, narrowing his eyes at her. “Besides, isn’t it a little late to be out with a kid? What are you up to?”  
Without waiting for a reply he turned to Korra, glowering at her. “What are you doing out here, little girl? Tell me.” He reached out to grab the young girl’s arm but she quickly moved out of his way. “No! Get away from us!” She shouted, raising her arms and releasing a burst of flame at the surprised soldier.  
In the few seconds it took for him to deflect the flames and understand what he had seen, Katara made her move. She stepped between Korra and the soldier, frantically looking around. “Korra, go hide over there!.” She shouted, pointing at a big pile of snow a small distance away. 

The little girl shook her head quickly. “I can help!” She shouted. “I’m not scared!”

The soldier had recovered from his shock, he looked at Korra with wide eyes, then his expression changed into one of greed. “The Avatar…” He said with a small measure of awe in his voice.

Katara pointed at the pile again. “Korra, go! Now!”

Luckily, she didn’t have to say it twice. Korra ran as fast as she could and Katara positioned herself between her and the advancing soldier. The man looked down at her derisively.

“What are you going to do, little girl?” He said calmly as he slowed his pace and faced her. “You can’t possibly think you can protect her.” He grinned as a bright flame appeared in his casually upraised hand. “Step aside.”

Katara’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t know if she could beat this man, but she had to. He clearly didn’t expect her to be a bender, that was his mistake. Everything she had learned in training at the North Pole coursed through her head. Her stomach tightened with nerves, it had been too long since she had been able to train.

The man was still taunting her but Katara didn’t listen to his words. Instead, she concentrated on all the ice and snow around her, trying to sense everything, down to the very last snowflake. While she focused, she waited for the soldier to get closer. Then, at once, she struck.

First, she melted the snow in front of her and crashed a harsh wave of water into him. While he was recovering from his surprise, she started bending more and more water his way, freezing it when it got into contact with his skin or clothing.

The soldier growled in annoyance and bent fire at the ice in order to melt it, rushing at her. “You little--”

He was cut off by a water whip smacking him in the face. In retaliation he quickly fired a few bursts of fire at Katara. She managed to raise an ice shield to stop it but a small part of her parka got singed by some flames that came through. Katara rolled to the side to avoid his next attack and kept hurling water and ice at him as hard as she could.

Her attacks kept him at bay for a while, but one glance behind her showed her how much closer they were to Korra’s hiding place. She wished she hadn’t pointed it out so obviously, but she had to be able to find Korra again after the fight. Angrily, she pushed herself harder. There was no reason for her to lose this, she was surrounded by her element, it was evening, she should be winning. But Katara's lack of training was catching up on her, she hadn’t had a reason to fight anyone in four years.

Katara's thoughts swirled with how scared Korra must be, and the horrors the fire nation would inflict upon her if Katara failed. She couldn’t lose. Korra had to be protected. For Aang’s sake, for the world, for the little girl that didn’t deserve any of this. Determinedly, Katara gathered all of her strength. The soldier clearly thought she was close to being done, his expression showing that he was already relishing in his upcoming victory. Fueled by anger, she shifted her stance and started moving her arms in circular motions. The snow around the soldier started circling and rising up around him, melting into a spiral of water that trapped him. He tried to break through it but Katara put more and more into it, feeling the power of the moon aid her in her fight. She froze the water solid, trapping him inside. He immediately started blasting the ice with fire in an attempt to get out but the ice was strong and solid and he couldn’t move freely, encased in the ice, his head the only part of his body that stuck out. It almost looked comical, the way he was glaring at her. It wasn’t, though. Because Katara knew what she had to do.

“When I get out of here--” The soldier started angrily, glaring at the approaching woman.

“You won’t.” She said, and her voice was as cold as the ice she had commanded. The soldier had seen Korra, had learned she was the Avatar and knew she was alive. There was only one thing left to do, one solution. Katara saw the realization in his eyes as she started bending the snow again, and she forced herself not to look away as she prepared to end this man’s life.

\---

Korra was huddled behind the hill, her hands over her ears and her eyes closed tightly. She was trembling and crying by the time Katara found her. It hadn’t taken her long to kill the soldier, but making it look like an accident had been harder. She hoped that whoever found his body, half buried in the snow, wouldn’t question his death or connect it to the apparent death of a young Water Tribe girl on the same night.

Her hands were trembling as she knelt in front of the girl. She had never killed a person before, at least not that directly. In her fights alongside Aang, Fire Nation soldiers might have been killed from a distance, but it had never been this direct, this deliberate. The shaking girl in front of her was a reminder that she couldn’t dwell on it. No matter how much she wanted to cry too, to seek comfort in her grandmother or another adult, she couldn’t. She was the adult now, the one who had to give comfort, who had to protect and who had to push her own feelings aside for now.

Gently, she coaxed the girl from the snow. She stroked her hair and murmured to her gently, assuring her that the bad man was gone now and wouldn’t hurt them or anyone else.

“You promise?” Korra asked in a small voice, apparently not sure if she dared to believe it, glancing around uncertainly.

“I promise.” Katara said in her most soothing voice as she gently picked the girl up. It was going to be hard to carry her the rest of the way but Korra felt so cold that she didn’t dare to make her walk through the snow any longer. The shivering girl seemed to appreciate it, snuggling close and tangling a small hand in Katara’s hair, which made her realize it had come undone during the fight.

After gathering the supplies she had been carrying, (while carefully staying away from the body of the soldier), they went on their way again. Katara carried Korra and whispered to her reassuringly, not even noticing how her own hands were still trembling. The boat wasn’t far off now. Soon, they’d both leave their home behind, possibly for good.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A 8 year time skip this time, it’s the last skip in a while though! It’s now been 12 years since the timeline of the original show and most characters are now in their twenties. In this chapter we’ll catch up with some other characters from a:tla and we’ll see a little bit more of the world before we get back to the main story.
> 
> A warning for ableism in this chapter from Toph’s mother towards her, just a small sidenote in case reading about that would bother you.

_Eight Years later._

_Gaoling_

Poppy Beifong was worried. She walked through the hallways of the Beifong estate, lost in thought. Worry wasn’t a feeling she was too familiar with, she’d had precious little to worry about in her life – or at least that had been the case, until her daughter had been born blind . But Toph’s delicacy and her need for protection were problems Poppy could solve with money, she could give her daughter enough space inside the house for her to never to need to go outside, she could give Toph personal guards to keep her safe during all hours of the day, give her teachers to keep her day filled with safe activities. Most of the decisions made about their daughter’s life had technically been her husband’s, but Poppy's gentle suggestions and coaxing in the background had steered him in the right direction.

She looked outside as she passed a window, staring into the lustrous garden. Unfortunately, her current worries were less easy to solve. They had been present for more than the past decade, slowly building up until Poppy had a near constant anxiety brewing within her that she didn’t know how to deal with.

The Fire Nation was in Goaling. Officially, they had been here for years. But it was really only recently that actual Fire Nation citizens had started moving to the quiet town. Goaling had managed to evade the Fire Nation’s attention during the war, as it had been to no advantage in securing the Earth Kingdom. But now that the war was long won and people moved to the Earth Kingdom for other reasons, the prospering, beautiful town was becoming a popular spot for wealthy Fire Nation citizens to move to.

It was clear that the Beifongs had played it smart, her husband had opened his doors to any Fire Nation official that came calling and they had soon established a mutual agreement. The Beifongs would openly support the Fire Nation and do business with them, in return, they would keep their house and place in the city. Poppy knew that the business dealings were skewed heavily in favor of the Fire Nation, but it was worth the price. It was hard enough to keep a fragile young blind girl safe without the Fire Nation army breathing down their necks. They did what they had to do for Toph’s sake.

However, the rest of the town didn’t give up that easily. There was no open rebellion, of course, nothing that would be violently struck down, but strange things happened in the night. Things the Fire Nation couldn't explain and couldn't stamp out. Brand new factories crumbling, vehicles shutting down, supplies disappearing, and all of it was contributed to a mysterious person who called themselves the Blind Bandit. 

Poppy mused this over as she took a tray of tea from a passing servant and carried it the rest of the way to her daughter's room in her stead. The part of her that was loyal to the Earth Kingdom and the town she had been born in was secretly gleeful every time the Bandit struck the invaders, but there was always a small chance the rebel's nickname would make the Fire Nation would suspect Toph, the only well known blind person in town. Still mulling her worries over, Poppy opened the door quietly.

Looking at her daughter now, sitting demurely on the perfectly made bed, this seemed impossible. It was a ridiculous notion. After all, even the most suspicious minds in the Fire Nation couldn't possibly believe her gentle, delicate flower could be a rebel. No, she told herself, Toph was as safe as she could be.

Poppy smiled, touched Toph's shoulder gently to make her presence known to the blind girl, and poured her a cup of tea. _'Safe as can be.'_ She reminded herself as she watched Toph carefully blow on the hot tea before taking a sip. Safe. And Poppy would do anything to keep it that way. No bandit, blind or otherwise, would endanger her daughter. If this rebel were to become a threat to their family, they would have to be dealt with. There was nothing that couldn't be fixed for the right price.

“Toph,” she said, as she sat down carefully next to her daughter, “darling, how are you feeling today?”

There was a short silence as her daughter took another careful sip of her tea. She lifted her head and faced her mother, eyes not quite meeting hers, staring instead at a spot near her mouth. Poppy’s heart clenched slightly, how could this girl ever live without help?

“I’m alright, mother. Is there news?” Toph asked, her voice soft and careful, like a proper lady, the way they had taught her.

It troubled Poppy a little, how eager Toph always seemed to be for news about the town, or really anything outside their estate. Perhaps it was understandable, seeing as she rarely got the chance to go outside, but Poppy wished she could make Toph understand that there was no reason for her to worry about things like that, that there would always be someone to take care of things for her, that her mother would never leave her.

But it was easier to just give her little bits of news when she asked for it. After all, some curiosity was surely a healthy reaction, and it wouldn’t harm her to know some things, as long as they weren’t likely to scare her. There was also the fact that there was some news that concerned Toph herself, though Poppy wasn’t yet sure how she felt about that.

“Well... “ She started, hesitation making her voice waver. “That new factory is being built on the edge of town, remember when I told you?”

Toph nodded quietly, her expression strangely intense. She really must be desperate for new information, she looked like she was absorbing every word.

“Well, they’re building it now, I believe it’s named Future Industries.” Poppy tucked a strand of Toph’s hair behind her ear as they talked. “The founder is apparently a Fire Nation man who has earned a lot of money by inventing and producing war machines, he and his family have recently moved here but I haven’t met him yet myself.”  
  
Toph sighed, her hands gripping the folds of her skirt. “What do they make there?” 

Poppy waved her hand airily and laughed. “Oh darling, I don’t know. It’s not something for us to worry about.”

“But mother--”

“No Toph, I just told you it does not matter.” Her voice was sharp now, her patience thinning.

Her daughter gave no reply, she only lowered her head. Poppy saw her hands clench into fists, wrinkling the fabric of her shirt. Poppy considered scolding her for it but decided against it. There was more news to tell, and there was no reason to make things more difficult than they already were. 

Gently, Poppy lifted her daughter’s face by tilting up her chin. “Don’t hide your pretty face, darling.” She pretended not to see Toph's slight scowl at those words and continued, forcing herself to keep her voice cheerful. “Something much more exciting is happening than that silly factory, Toph. In a few days, a noble Fire Nation family is visiting the town. They have sent us a message with a request for a meeting, so your father invited him to dinner.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Toph asked, a frown creasing her brow. Her voice had lost the gentle, melodic quality Poppy had noted earlier, and her hands were clenched around the fabric of her dress again.

“Well, they have a son your age…” Poppy started. “So we thought it would be nice if you accompanied us at the table.”

“No.” Toph said, shaking her head wildly. “Mother, no.”

“All I mean is that you could perhaps have a friend.” Poppy said pleadingly, reaching for her daughter's hands.

“No you don’t.” Toph snapped. “You’ve never let me have a friend before in my entire life. That’s not what you’re trying to do.” She pointed an accusing finger straight at Poppy’s face, which made her recoil slightly. “You’re trying to set me up with some jerk from the Fire Nation, you’re selling me like it’s just another of your business deals!”

“Toph!” Poppy was scandalized. “I am not, young lady. We are just trying to be friendly to these people, and you will play your part and be your charming self at this dinner.” Toph opened her mouth to reply again but Poppy had had enough. “No, Toph. I have had enough of your attitude.”

“Mother, I’m an adult, I can decide if I want to attend this stupid--”

“I told you, you’re attending!” Poppy said, her voice now shrill, “and that’s the last we speak of it.” Toph slumped back with an angry expression on her face and a reprimand about her posture was itching on Poppy’s tongue, but she held it back. Some battles would have to wait. Putting on her smile again, Poppy patted Toph on the head and took the tray from her. “I’ll see you at lunch, darling,” she said softly as she left the room. Yes, things would be perfectly fine. The soldiers would catch this silly rebel bandit and Toph would remain safe and close. Poppy had nothing to worry about, she knew, but that didn’t ease the anxiety deep in her gut.

\---

 _(former) Ba Sing Se_  

Returning to the city after completing a mission for Azula never failed to make Mai feel ridiculous. For days, it was just her and Ty Lee on the road with nothing but an ostrich horse and a pack of supplies, but as soon as they returned to New Sozin (formerly known as Ba Sing Se) they would be picked up in a litter and escorted to the palace by Fire Nation soldiers. Mai knew that it was a show of power and status, but everything would go so much faster if they were allowed to take the train, or even if they just walked like normal people. The litter clearly belonged to Fire Nation royalty so it attracted far more attention than Mai would like, something the group of soldiers that surrounded it didn’t help.

Today, one of the soldiers marched closer to the window at her side of the litter than was technically proper. This wouldn’t have been as surprising if it had happened at Ty Lee’s side, she often flirted with them to pass the time and amuse herself, but Mai never showed them anything but cold indifference. It wasn’t until she caught his eye through his visor and glimpsed his familiar grin that her heart did a little, nervous, leap. Of course. Her mother had written to her about Tom-Tom’s new position in the Fire Nation army, quite a feat at his young age. He was only just fifteen, but with the manpower needed to occupy of the entire former Earth Kingdom, any new soldiers were welcomed eagerly. Mai knew her mother had been overjoyed, and had heard her bragging about it to her friends on one of her visits, but it had left a sour feeling in her own stomach. Of course, she couldn’t exactly talk him out of it. She had been the same age as he was now when she had joined Azula’s elite team to hunt down her brother and the Avatar, and he would have loved to point that out to her. Seeing him here made Mai even more uneasy. She knew that both she and Ty Lee were Azula’s friends, and that the Princess trusted them both as much as it was possible for her to trust anyone, but she also wouldn’t put it past her to gather some kind of insurance to keep that trust alive. With Tom-Tom close to the palace from which Azula ruled the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom, Mai would be unable to act against her in any way while outside her reach. 

Mai gave her brother a small smile and then rolled her eyes at him in a loving way before waving him along. “Go do your job.” She muttered, which earned her a small laugh. Watching him jog a few steps to walk ahead of the litter, she sighed and pondered the situation. Was he really in more danger here than in some rebellious small town where he’d have to fight the locals into submission? Probably not, it could all be a coincidence. It was possible she was just being paranoid. After all, Azula had no real reason to question her loyalty. The only thing that could be counted against her was was a silly childhood crush on a boy who was probably dead by now. The search for Zuko had unofficially been called off ages ago, because with no sign of him for more than a decade, everyone believed the crown prince to be long dead. It was a relief to Mai, who didn’t know how she would have reacted if they had actually found him and been forced to either kill him or take him captive. It might have been nothing but a silly childhood crush, but it was still something.

Mai knew Azula wasn’t convinced of his death, but there would likely be nothing that could ever truly convince her, short of killing Zuko herself. Whenever she sent Mai and Ty Lee off now, it was because of some hint about a possible sighting of the Avatar. To Mai, finding a new Avatar in hiding after all these years seemed as unlikely as finding Zuko, but she understood that the Fire Nation couldn’t afford to assume the rumors were true. Everyone said the last Avatar had been killed while in the Avatar State, presumably ending the cycle forever. But because nobody was sure, and there wasn’t any way to get proof of this, any rumors of irregular bending activity had to be investigated. Azula used to come with them at the beginning, years ago, but over time she had settled into the role her father had assigned her, sitting on a throne in the former Earth Kingdom palace and ruling there in his stead. Ozai seemed to prefer focusing on the Fire Nation and ways he could expand his empire even more, he was happy to let Azula take care of the messy politics in the colonies. Of course, Azula had taken to it like a fish to water. She ruled from the city that used to be Ba Sing Se and was now known as New Sozin like she had been born to do so.

The litter was making its way through the streets of New Sozin slowly, and Mai was getting impatient. Scowling, she looked outside as they passed through the edges of the outer ring. Two boys were playing by the side of the road, but they stopped when they saw the soldiers pass by. They looked like they were related, probably brothers, and the older one stepped in front of the younger protectively as the litter passed by. Most old Earth Kingdom citizens felt no love for the Fire Nation, even if they were slowly becoming a bigger part of the city. Mai looked away again, wishing she could just get out. She was smelly, tired, and hungry. It was bad enough that she had to report to Azula immediately after spending days on the road, but their mode of transportation made her feel ten times worse. Groaning, she opened her mouth to complain to Ty Lee, but stopped when she saw the amused expression on the other woman’s face.

“What?” Mai said instead, her annoyance rising.

“Nothing.” Ty Lee said, laughing softly. “You just… sometimes it’s like you haven’t changed a bit since we were teens, did you know that?”

“I’ve changed.” Mai snapped. “More than you.”

It was true. Both of them had aged, but Ty Lee still had the happy, youthful beauty she’d had as a young girl. In fact, it had only grown over time, something Mai couldn’t say for herself.

“I don’t mean your looks.” Ty Lee said, as if knowing what she was thinking. “Though, really, you look great! I mean, you’d look even better if you used that moisturizer I recommended but you’re still really pretty!”

“Thanks.” Mai muttered, knowing the sarcasm would probably be lost on her friend.

“I just mean that you still act like the moody teenager I grew up with.” Ty Lee continued, at Mai’s glare she quickly added, “I don’t mean it in a bad way! It’s sort of nice.”

“Me being moody is nice?”

“It’s reassuring.” A pause. “You’re still you, still the same.”

“That makes no sense, Ty Lee, of course I’m still me.”

Ty Lee sighed at that, shaking her head. Her hair was starting to come undone from her braid and it partly hid her face as she turned it away from Mai. “Forget it, Mai.”

Normally, Mai might have argued the point. Maybe. But now she was distracted by the view of the palace from her window. Finally, they were getting close.

When they finally arrived at the Palace, Mai couldn’t help but look up at the building. The Earth Kingdom Palace was officially the secondary Fire Nation Palace now, but it was impossible to look at it and not see the Earth Kingdom. No amount of added flames and red paint would change that, Mai felt. It was like the building was stubbornly clinging to its Earth Kingdom roots, as unmoving as a mountain. It might make her a bad Fire Nation citizen, but Mai couldn’t help but quietly like that about it, it showed a truth about the city. New Sozin was a silly name and she knew that informally, everyone still said Ba Sing Se. It wasn’t like New Ozai, where a simple name change and some metal was enough to change the entire city. Ba Sing Se was so big, it was like a small country of its own. It had its own cultures, and they varied greatly between the different parts of the city. No, it was impossible to cover it all in a layer of red paint and call it Fire Nation. But after more than ten years, certain more permanent changes had been made as well.

The inside of the palace was different to the outside. The hallways and rooms had been completely redone in a classic Fire Nation style. The badgermole throne had been replaced as well, and the one Azula was occupying now was in the same style as the one in the Fire Nation Capital. The flames surrounding the Princess were blue instead of red, though, giving the entire room an eerie glow.

Azula might be a princess in name, but looking at her, nobody could call her anything but a queen in her own right. As Mai and Ty Lee knelt in front of the throne, she surveyed them from her place high above them.

There was a moment of tense silence that Azula cut with her sharp voice. “Welcome, my friends.” She said, her voice nowhere near as friendly as her words. “I trust you have a report for me?”

“Yes, your highness.” Mai said at the same time as Ty Lee did. In other situations, when it was just the three of them, they still used Azula’s first name as friends did. But those moments were getting more and more rare the older they got. It felt like the distance between them grew with every assignment Azula sent them on, it deepened every time they knelt in front of her throne.

_You’re still you, still the same._

Mai suddenly realized that she knew what Ty Lee had meant. A quick glance at her face showed the emotion Ty Lee was holding back. She had never been very good at hiding her feelings, and her feelings about Azula were more complicated than Mai’s ever had been. Knowing that Ty Lee’s voice was as bad at hiding her feelings as her face was, Mai was the one who spoke up first.

“It was a false alarm, your highness.” It was the truth, rumors about a great waterbender in a small Earth Kingdom village had been greatly exaggerated. Some earthbender kids had been fighting and they had accidentally uncovered a spring, creating a sudden fountain of water in the middle of the town. Mai recounted the story to Azula in a formal voice, though she couldn’t stop the slight undercurrent of annoyance from creeping in. It had been nothing but jobs like this for a long time now, and it was frustrating to know there would never be a real result. Being on the road with Ty Lee wasn’t the worst thing in the world. But Mai, like the rest of the world, believed the Avatar was dead. Unlike most, this didn’t sadden or gladden her in any way, it meant nothing for her.

The slight tightening of Azula’s expression said more than the formal words of thanks that left her lips. Azula was disappointed every time, and her disappointment only seemed to grow as the years passed. Mai wished she would just accept the Avatar’s death and move on, but she also knew she never would. It was what made Azula such a good queen, such a terrifying opponent for their enemies. Azula never gave up. If there was the slightest chance the Avatar was alive and hiding somewhere, the Fire Nation princess would find them. Looking into her cold, golden eyes, as the princess dismissed them both, Mai had no doubt about that in the slightest.

\---

_The Southern Air Temple_

There were many downsides to living in isolation, cut off from the world. But in his years of living as a fugitive from the country he had once been promised to rule, Iroh had found the upsides of this life as well.

One of them was enjoying a nice, quiet, afternoon cup of tea without the chance of being disturbed. Another was the view. As he sat on a balcony of the abandoned Southern Air Temple, enjoying a perfect cup of tea Iroh thought that life could be a lot worse than this.

In the distance, he could hear the sound of firebending, which somewhat darkened his nice afternoon. It meant his nephew was in one of his restless moods, and it would be harder than usual to talk to him. Zuko wasn’t the kind of person who could live like this easily, as he had shown over the past years. Despite the safety that came with a good hiding place, Zuko had always been happier when they were on the road. Though, Iroh reflected sadly, it had been a long, long time since he had actually seen anything close to happiness on his nephew’s face.

The first few years of their exile, they had spent in the Earth Kingdom. But as the land was slowly but surely overtaken by Fire Nation soldiers, there were less and less safe places remaining for them, even with Iroh’s connections. The problem they faced wasn’t as much being captured, as they were formidable team and could get out of almost any trap, but being recognized by a fleeing soldier was enough. It would be a much harder life for them if word of their survival reached Ozai or Azula. If his brother or niece had realized they were still a threat, and being alive would make them one in their eyes, they would have stopped at nothing to get to them. It was the reason for their permanent departure from the Earth Kingdom. Iroh had used his position in the Order of the White Lotus to get them what they needed to travel far away and start anew. First, they had tried to live on one of the small islands between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, but it had felt too exposed to passing ships and travelers. Then, it had been Zuko who had come with the idea of going to a place nobody had visited for years: the Western Air temple. It had been the easiest one to reach for them so it had seemed like the obvious choice, but it had soon proved to be too close to the Fire Nation to be safe. Iroh looked down at his tea, shuddering at the memory of what he’d had to do to Fire Nation soldiers that had stumbled upon them. It didn't matter that he’d done plenty things that were worse in his past, it didn’t make it any easier. But it was essential that their continued survival remained a secret. There was nothing he wouldn’t have done to protect Zuko and keep him alive.

 _But it’s hard to keep someone alive who doesn’t care himself._ A small voice whispered in the back of his mind. Iroh sighed. No matter how much he wished it wasn’t true, Zuko had been doing badly. With the Avatar gone and no more hope for redemption, his nephew had lost the only hope he still had left as a banished prince. When the Avatar died, it had been like part of Prince Zuko had died along with him. Iroh knew it was irrational to blame the young boy that had been killed, but deep down he did. After all, when it came to the people you loved most, it was hard to be rational.

After they had nearly been discovered at the Western Air Temple, they had taken the soldiers’ war balloon and fled to the Southern Temple, where they had been living since. At least, Iroh had been. He had the sort of life he could be content with, a quiet, peaceful existence in the last of his years. His nephew however, was a different story. Iroh wasn’t sure if he could call what Zuko had been doing _living_ exactly. He ate when Iroh made him, talked when he felt like it, trained his firebending and gathered food for them both. But he went through the motions in a mechanical way, like his mind was never really there. There was nothing that made Iroh sadder than seeing the emptiness in his nephew’s eyes, where he had once seen a bright spark of life and hope. For all the crimes his brother had committed, against everyone in their world, Iroh sometimes felt like taking that happiness away from his bright boy was the most evil act of all. It would be a lie to say he had never considered going back. He knew that if anyone could best Ozai in a duel, it would be him now. But it had been a foolish notion, one only to be considered in the dark hours of the night, when fantasies, dreams and hopes merged into the same thing. If it would have solved anything to kill his brother, he would have done it. But even assuming he could get close enough to challenge him to a duel, and assuming Ozai would accept, killing Ozai wouldn’t solve any of his problems. It wouldn’t give Zuko back his life, his hope, his right. It wouldn’t give the world peace, not after the Fire Nation had gotten its taste of victory and not with Azula still in power. Besides, no matter how prideful his brother was, he would not be foolish enough to agree to an Agni Kai with Iroh.

Then there was the fact that deep, deep down, he wasn’t entirely sure anymore if he would win such a duel. He had been the strongest one of the two all their lives, having the advantage of a considerable age difference on his side as well as the natural talent he knew he possessed. But the age difference that had once made him tower over his brother and the perfect height to muss the younger one’s hair, back when they still did that sort of thing, now seemed to have turned into his weakness. Iroh was old. He knew this, had known if for years, but there was a difference between knowing your age and _feeling_ your age. And with every day that passed, Iroh felt it more and more.

If you had asked him some years ago, Iroh would have gladly admitted that he was not afraid of death. It was nothing but a natural part of life, one that he would gladly discover on his own when the time came. But that had been before, before he had been the only thing that stood between Zuko and a crushingly lonely life. No, he had to be there for his nephew, even if things looked bleak. Iroh believed that one day, there would be a new spark that would give Zuko a purpose in life. Something, that would return the determination and hope to his eyes every day. The Avatar had given him hope, even if it had been an obsessive, unhealthy thing to cling to. At least it had been something, something real, that had kept the fire inside him alive.

Iroh took another sip of his tea and found it had grown cold. He smiled at himself and shook his head, he had spent more time than he had wanted just sitting here, musing about life. As much as he enjoyed the quiet moments, he didn’t want to waste all day like this. He got up, heating his tea with his hands as he started walking in the direction of the temple. He had to make sure Zuko ate something, after all that training. He was getting thinner again. He hoped it wouldn’t turn into an argument. He hoped Zuko would have a few good days. Most of all, he hoped for news. News that would turn things around, news that would give his nephew his life back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, the Earth Kingdom hasn’t been burned to the ground even though the Fire Nation won the war. I’m changing more and more things as we go along, like the birthdate of several characters from the Legend of Korra. (as you can see with Mr. Sato here as well) Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!)


	4. Chapter 4

When Katara took a young new Avatar from their shared home at the South Pole, she had been determined to take her to a safe space. Somewhere unknown where they could remain safely hidden. It had been Sokka who had found the foggy swamp in the Earth Kingdom on his travels, and it had suited their purpose well enough. Neither Sokka nor Katara was sure if they would stay there long when they first settled in. It could very well be that they would have to find another, safer space somewhere else. After all, there was a tribe of waterbenders already living in the swamps, something that they weren’t sure was completely safe. But over time, despite some wariness from both the tribe and the siblings, they had settled into an understanding. Katara, Sokka and Korra lived in a small part of the swamp that nobody else visited, and they would leave each other alone. It was easy enough to do, the swamp was vast enough for both groups to have ample space. Katara didn’t think they’d stay there for long at first. When she had pictured a life raising the new young Avatar, she had naively pictured a cold place covered with snow, like the place she had grown up, even though she knew they must flee and travel far away from the Southern Water Tribe. It was possible there were places near the North Pole or South Pole that were deserted and relatively safe, but they would be barren, harsh places, almost impossible to raise a child in without the help and protection of a village. The swamp had its own dangers and hardships, but living here wasn’t difficult once you got used to the surroundings.

Without anyone noticing, Katara’s plan to stay here for a short while became staying for a year. And before that year was up, the swamp had become their new home. One they wouldn’t leave for a long time, undisturbed by the rest of the world.

\---

“I did it, Katara! I did it!” Korra was yelling and jumping up and down as she pointed at the part of the water that she had just been bending. Now, in the aftermath, it didn’t look any different from any other part of the swamp, but moments before she had executed a nearly perfect waterbending move called “razor rings” in front of her waterbending teacher. The move had created thin circlets of water that moved rapidly and cut as sharp as steel. The only evidence now left of the technique were the rather large amount of vines that had been cleanly cut through and the big, proud grin on Korra’s face as she turned to the woman who had been her mentor, teacher, and family for the past nine years.

Katara had a smile on her face that nearly matched Korra’s, but it held more pride than excitement. “That was excellent, Korra.” She said gently. “You’re learning so fast, it’s incredible.” Shaking her head slightly as if in disbelief, she looked at the mess of freshly cut vines. “I only showed you this move last month, and look at you now. You’re just as quick as--.”

She abruptly stopped talking and, like snow melting, her smile disappeared. Slowly, she averted her eyes from Korra, but not before the younger girl could see that faraway look Katara’s eyes that she associated with “Aang”, the mysterious Avatar before her that Sokka said had been Katara’s friend.

Korra hated him. Well, sometimes she did. Mostly she hated how she would unintentionally do something that would give Katara that sad look on her face, and how guilty it would make her feel every time. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t like she knew what to avoid saying or doing and she didn’t do it on purpose. Katara would never outright say Korra made her sad, but Korra could always tell. Katara would always grow distant for a time, turning away from her and Sokka. Often, only for a few minutes, maybe an hour, but there had been times where Korra didn’t see Katara for days. Whenever this happened and she felt sad as well, Sokka had reassured her and distracted her. He was the one who had explained why some things made Katara act like that. Katara herself had rarely ever mentioned the previous Avatar in Korra’s presence.

Sokka wasn’t here now, though, and Korra didn’t want Katara to go away or be sad. This was supposed to be about her! She had finally mastered a move she had been working on for weeks, she was not going to let stupid Aang ruin this moment for her. So Korra did he first thing she could think of, she distracted her teacher before she could slip too far into her memories by bending a ball of muddy water to fly into her face.

In the time it took for Katara to register what had happened and to look at Korra in shock, Korra had given her her most mischievous grin, then turned and ran. She didn’t have to turn around to see that Katara was chasing her, the sounds of pursuit gave her away somewhat but it was more than that. Korra knew Katara better than almost anyone, and she knew that no matter how motherly and mature she acted most of the time, she could never resist some fun when it presented itself to her.

Korra ran as fast as she could, ducking under branches and leaping over rocks. Once or twice, her feet slipped in the mud, but she never lost her footing. She grabbed vines to pull herself up where necessary and hopped from rock to rock where the water was too deep to run. A laugh escaped her. This was fun, it was easy. She _knew_ the swamp, and it knew her. It had been her home for almost all her life.

In her fun, she had almost forgotten her pursuer. Unfortunately, Katara knew the swamp almost as well as Korra did. She might not have grown up here, but she had spent just as much time there as the young girl. There was also the fact that for all Korra’s training and exercising, Katara was still the superior waterbender. When she was tired of chasing Korra around, she simply flicked her wrist and made a tentacle of water appear that wrapped itself around Korra’s ankle. Korra tried to kick and wiggle free, grabbing at a low hanging branch for support, but it was a futile struggle. The tentacle wrapped itself tightly around her ankle before it yanked her back with another small movement of Katara’s hand. It hoisted Korra into the air, where it let her dangle upside down.

“Bending isn’t fair.” Korra muttered, scowling down at Katara. The necklace Korra always wore was now hanging in her face as she hung upside down and she pushed it aside impatiently.

“You’re only saying that because I caught you easily.” Katara grinned. “If you worked harder at your bending, maybe next time you’ll beat me.”

“Right.” Korra rolled her eyes. “Like I will _ever_ beat you.” She could see this comment pleased her mentor, and it gladdened her. Cheering her up, or at least distracting her, had definitely worked. But now she was hanging here with blood rushing down to her head. “Can you let me down now?” She asked, wiggling a little impatiently.

Katara smiled and gently let her down without argument, as she had known she would. Katara was strong, and she was fast, but in all the year she’d known her, Katara had never been cruel. Korra thought she was probably one of the nicest, most understanding people in the whole world. Of course, this was only a guess. Korra had never known any other people than Sokka, Katara, and the other group of waterbenders that lived inside the swamp. Still, Sokka and Katara had told her plenty of things about the outside world. Most of the stories she had heard had to do with war and pain, from which she concluded that at least in the Fire Nation, there couldn’t be many nice people around.

Brushing some mud off her clothes, Korra looked up at Katara. “Should we continue our practice?” She asked eagerly.

Katara gave her an amused smile and a tilt of her head. “You’re an eager student all of a sudden.” She said, her tone slightly teasing. “Could it be you have chores you are avoiding by practicing waterbending?”

Biting her lip briefly, Korra averted her eyes, knowing the guilt was clear on her face. So she hadn’t washed the clothes she had been supposed to wash yet, but there was plenty of time for that! At least, that’s how Korra had excused it to herself when she had left them by the stream to show Katara her waterbending move. It was like magic, how Katara always knew when Korra was doing something she wasn’t supposed to.

“Maybe.” She admitted grudgingly. “But I really wanted to show you my move, and I want to learn more, you should teach me a new one.”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Katara’s face and she opened her mouth to reply. Before she could, and before Korra could guess what the emotion on her face had meant, the sound of a snapping branch made them both tense up. This was their part of the swamp, and if any swamp benders visited to trade or talk they usually took boats through the deeper parts of the swamp. Even if they had come on foot for some reason, they would have announced themselves a lot earlier.

Katara quietly summoned two large ice spikes, they hovered near her hands. Korra wanted to do the same, but she had never mastered the art of bending the elements as quietly as Katara had. It would only give them away to the other person, if whoever it was didn’t already know they were there.

The high grass nearby rustled and Korra turned to watch it, expecting one of the nightmarish Fire Nation soldiers from the stories to jump out and charge at them. In Korra’s imagination, they had always been larger than Sokka and stronger than Katara. Fear grabbed hold of her and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to hide behind Katara and close her eyes. She wouldn’t though, she wasn’t a little kid anymore.

Whoever was in the grass had stopped moving, and for a moment Korra was certain they had spotted them and were going to attack with large balls of fire any moment now. Instead, they took a sharp intake of breath that was audible in the silence, and then whistled a very familiar three notes. The notes were repeated three times, but by then the ice spikes had melted back into the ground and both Korra and Katara were exchanging a happy look. They knew who it was,

“Sokka!” They both exclaimed at the same time, rushing to the spot the whistling had sounded from.

Sokka’s startled face appeared between the grass. He blinked as he looked at them. “Well, the two of you were closer than I expected. You know, you’re really supposed to whistle back, not call out my --” He stopped talking as they both jumped on him and hugged him, almost throwing him onto the muddy ground with their combined enthusiasm.

“You’re back so early!” Katara exclaimed happily, clutching her brother tight. “We didn’t expect you yet!”

“Did you bring food?” Korra asked, letting go of him so she could bounce up and down excitedly. “Did you bring me any gifts?”

“Food, yes. Gifts only if you count food as a gift.” Sokka said. “Which I do, and so should you.” He grinned at her. “In fact, I was going to surprise you both.” He gently pried Katara off him and extracted a slightly stained bundle wrapped in cloth from his satchel. He opened it and handed it to Katara who gasped.

“Sea prunes!”

“Yep, the real deal.” Sokka looked proud. “We’re gonna have a real Water tribe feast tonight, all three of us.”

Korra beamed. She had heard many things of their home at the South Pole, but since it was so far away and Sokka’s travels often took him no further than the continent of the former Earth Kingdom, there weren’t many parts of their culture she encountered often.

Katara had made her clothes in the Water Tribe style from blue cloth when she was younger, but these days they all wore a mixture of those older clothes and the type of things the swampbenders wore. Korra was at that moment wearing fraying blue pants that had been Katara’s when she was younger, combined with a shirt made from the rough green fabric used by the people of the Foggy Swamp Tribe. They had combined the two cultures for years, Korra remembered how Katara used to teach her Southern Water Tribe hairstyles by braiding her hair and tying it with bits of vines found in the swamp. Katara wore a similar combination of green and blue as Korra did, though she tended to cling to the styles she was used to from home, but Sokka was completely dressed in normal Earth Kingdom clothes, since he had been traveling there to gather supplies and information.

Katara and Korra always stayed behind when Sokka went out for any reason, and though Korra knew why this was, it didn’t stop her from wanting to go along. Just once, she would love to see more of the world, to talk to strangers and eat food she didn’t know. But she knew better than to ask, she wasn’t in the mood for a long rant from Katara about how important her safety was, or to see Sokka’s apologetic face as he turned her down with an “I’m sorry, kid,” and not much else to offer her.

It wasn’t bad in the swamp, Korra loved her home, but she was itching to see what lay outside it. Katara had told her there was a town nearby named Gaoling, and Korra had seen it from afar when she had climbed up into the tallest tree she dared. It had been evening, and all Korra had seen were the lights from the houses in the distance, but it had been enough to fill her with a sense of awe. Korra was determined to see it up close one day, no matter what Katara thought about it.

The three of them walked back to the big hollow tree where they usually slept and ate, Korra had a favorite spot higher up in the tree where she usually slept in a ridge between two branches. She had covered it with furs and blankets and it was very comfortable as she curled up there at night. Mostly, she liked how she could look down at Sokka and Katara from there, being higher up than both of them for once. Despite Katara’s frequent worries, she had never fallen down.

Katara gathered the bowls they used for eating and they all sat down near the roots of the tree. Korra leaned back against it, sitting in between Katara and Sokka. She gratefully accepted food from Sokka and listened intently as he started to talk about the things he had seen on his travels. She suspected that he embellished the stories slightly, but that didn’t make them any less fun to listen to. Sokka was great at telling stories, he always put on funny voices and pulled weird faces until both Korra and Katara were doubled over laughing.

The sea prunes were a rare treat, and Korra savored them. Next to her, she could see Katara do the same. The older waterbender had a wistful smile on her face and was clutching the bowl and holding it close to her face, inhaling the aroma. It reminded her of her home, Korra knew, and she felt a strange mixture of pity and jealousy. It was obvious that Katara still missed the place she had grown up, and that was sad, but Korra couldn’t even remember it. If she thought back really hard, she thought she could recall the feeling of icy cold air on her skin, her mother kissing her on the forehead, and sitting huddled behind a pile of snow, terrified. She could never make sense of that last memory, and she thought she had probably made the other two up based on the stories Katara and Sokka had told her about the Southern Water Tribe. It was a strange feeling, having a home but not remembering it. To her, the swamp was home, even though it sometimes felt like a prison.

After they finished their meal and Sokka ran of stories, Korra expected Katara to take out one of the games they sometimes played around the fire at night, or Sokka to ask her to show him how well she had been practicing waterbending. Instead, she saw Sokka give Katara a significant look that conveyed a message that Korra couldn’t quite read. He looked uncharastically serious and it made anxiety stir in the pit of her stomach.

Whatever Sokka had been trying to say was apparently not lost on Katara, who turn to Korra with a smile on her face that didn’t look entirely genuine. “Korra, didn’t you say you had laundry to do?”

Korra frowned, she never had to do chores the night Sokka came back, it was an unspoken rule between them. “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”  
  
Katara shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

“But it’s dark!”

“You know your way better than we do, Korra.” Katara’s tone left no room for argument, and Korra knew she wasn’t going to win this way.

“I never have to when Sokka comes back.” She argued instead, getting to her feet as she voiced what Katara had been ignoring. “Why are you sending me away? I can see that’s what you’re doing, I’m not stupid!” Korra could hear the childish whine in her voice but she couldn’t help it. Being purposely sent away wasn’t a nice feeling, whatever they wanted to talk about, she wanted to be included. She hated nothing more than being treated like a little kid.

It was Sokka who spoke up now. “Korra, I’m sorry but I have something to discuss with Katara.”

“Why can’t I stay then? Is it a secret?” Korra set her jaw and put her hands on her hips. “If it’s about me, I should know.”

Sokka shook his head. “It’s just personal, between us.” He said, his voice sounding both casual and firm. “If you don’t feel like doing laundry, I can’t blame you,” he smiled and winked, looking up at her. Korra knew she wouldn’t stay angry much longer, which irritated her in turn. “If you want, you can go hunt some possum chickens so we can have a nice lunch tomorrow.” He paused, “at least, if you think you can capture some.”

Korra’s anger deflated slightly but she also fought the urge to roll her eyes. Sure, a few years ago she would have fallen for that and gone off to get as many possum chickens as she could carry, but Sokka seemed not to realize she wasn’t that competitive little girl anymore. She was twelve now, well on her way to being thirteen, and she knew she was old enough to hear what they had to say.

Unfortunately, neither of them seemed to agree with her on that. They were watching her expectantly and Korra’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Fine.” She muttered, knowing she wasn’t going to win this. “But don’t expect too much, it’s too late for many to be out.”  
  
“That wouldn’t stop the Korra I know.” Sokka said, giving her a grin.

She was sure he meant for it to sound encouraging but it only sounded condescending to her ears. Still, she could let them think she accepted it, she realized getting angry wouldn’t help her in this. But if she wanted to be believable, it wouldn’t do to act _too_ excited. So she  made a show of dragging her feet and taking her sweet time grabbing supplies. When she had grabbed all her stuff, she cast last pitiful glance to where Sokka and Katara were sitting but they were already talking in low voices, paying her no more mind.

Well, that suited her just fine. If they weren’t going to let her in on the conversation, she would find out a way to hear what they’re saying on her own.

That’s how Korra found herself crouching between a bush and a patch of tall grass. The grass tickled at her legs and the position wasn’t very comfortable but it was near enough for her to hear Sokka and Katara’s conversation if she stayed very still and strained her ears, that was the important part. She told herself that she didn’t care if her leg started cramping up from the uncomfortable position, this was important. So she held her breath for a moment and listened carefully.

“Yes, I’m sure.” She heard Sokka say.

“To _Gaoling?_ There’s more soldiers coming here?”

“I don’t think most of them are soldiers.” Sokka replied, his tone sounded like he was trying to placate his sister, but he didn’t seem to be succeeding. “From what I heard, it’s mainly rich folk. The war made some Fire Nation citizens a lot of money, but they’re not accepted by the nobility in the homeland. So instead of staying there and getting sneered at, they move to pretty, flourishing Earth Kingdom towns to become the new nobility here.”

“Are you _sure?_ If they got wind of us…”

“Then I would have heard, Katara. If they had any idea the Avatar was alive, they would be sending soldiers, not bored civilians.”

“But you said they’re building a factory for weaponry.”

“Well, yes.” Sokka admitted. “But apparently that’s because the richest of the rich Fire Nation bastards is moving here. He made a lot of money through the war because of his inventions, so he’s expanding his empire.”

“If you hear anything that could be a danger, you would tell us, right? Even if it meant we had to move.”

This made Korra’s heart thump. She hadn’t even considered that they might move because of the danger. Katara had explained to her that they had to be hidden and why, and the possibility of being found had always scared her. Now, though, it almost felt like an opportunity.

Sokka rolled his eyes. “I’m not that attached to the swamp, Katara. I’ve discovered you never really get used to waking up with giant leeches attaching themselves to your legs or other body parts.”

“You’re disgusting.”

Korra heard Sokka laugh and felt guilty for her earlier thought. If they had to flee because of danger, she knew that Katara and Sokka would be in just as much danger as her. The swamp was safe for all of them, it wasn’t fair to wish a less safe existence on her guardians just because she was getting bored of one place. If she was honest with herself, she didn’t really want to move permanently. The swamp really had become her home, and she would miss it terribly. She just wanted to travel like Sokka, to see more of the world. To fly on Appa’s back and watch the ground below.

Appa had been Aang’s bison, but Korra liked him too. Sokka traveled on his back as often as he could get away with it, but they were cautious about it and he almost never took Appa back to the swamp where he could be tracked. Korra knew why, but she still thought it was a shame. Apparently he had a friend somewhere who took care of the bison most of the time, and sighting him around that place of the Earth Kingdom had become common enough for it not to attract too much attention. Katara had said that not many Fire Nation soldiers would expect the new Avatar to travel with the animal guide of the old Avatar, even if they thought she was alive.

When Korra had first heard that Avatar’s were supposed to have their own spirit guides, she had immediately tried to find one for herself. It had been a fruitless effort. No matter how many swamp animals she chased after or captured, she didn’t feel any special bond with any of them. It had made her sad, feeling like she had failed as an Avatar. Katara had tried to cheer her up, telling her that some Avatar’s didn’t find theirs until later in life. Korra wasn’t sure, but she thought Katara didn’t know that for a certainty and had just said it to make her feel better. After all, Aang had had _two_ animals. Momo had died a few years before, and they had all cried. Korra still missed him sometimes, maybe he had been meant to be her animal guide and Aang had just found him first.

_Another thing to blame on stupid Aang._

She felt guilty for thinking that, but she couldn’t help it.

Korra realized with a start that she had missed part of the conversation. Cursing herself for tuning out, she focused on listening in again.

“There’s other news.” Sokka said, and from Korra’s position in the grass he could see that he was leaning back against the tree, stretching his arms over his head. “Apparently, Princess Azula is betrothed.”

Katara snorts. “I wonder if this one will die too.” She said, with venom in her voice Korra didn’t expect from her.

“I doubt it, she really needs to have an heir, apparently Ozai is putting on pressure.”

“I don’t doubt many people find this interesting, but I don’t really want to hear about her love life.” Katara snapped.

Sokka held up both hands in a defensive gesture. “I’m just being thorough, don’t bite my head off.”

Katara sighed and she rubbed her face. “I’m sorry.” She said softly. “You’re right, but I’m a little stressed about the Fire Nation coming closer.”

“Suki really said it was mostly civilians, Katara.”

That name was vaguely familiar to Korra, but she didn’t ponder it for long.

“But what if she’s wrong?”

“She’s not. And if she is, Goaling is close but it’s not the swamp itself. We’re still alright here.”

Katara didn’t answer and Korra couldn’t see her face now that she had moved, but she assumed Katara nodded because Sokka went on.  
  
“Speaking of Suki, she pointed me in the direction of a rebel group of Earthbenders.”

“Oh?” There was a tone of suspicion in Katara’s voice. “Did she just randomly bring that up?”

Now Sokka sounded a little annoyed as well. “For the last time, Katara I did  not tell her about Korra. She was just keeping me updated, as she always does.”

“Fine, but we can’t trust a random group of people we don’t know.”

“Well, I went to talk to them.” Sokka said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Sokka! If they had any idea what you were trying to do--”

“I was just checking them out, Katara, we talked and I helped them with some plans they had to free New Ozai.”

“That’s ridiculous, why would they try? If they took the city, the Fire Nation would just send more soldiers to take it back, like last time.”

“I know, and so did they, but they want to do _something_ , Katara, they feel helpless.” Sokka paused and glanced sideways at her. “I think they’re trustworthy. They had a few really good earthbenders.”

“No.”

“Katara, please.”

“No! Korra can’t use a teacher that’s so far away, that would make no sense.”

Korra perked up. A teacher? Her entire life, Katara had been her only bending teacher. Sokka had taught her things too, about weapons and hunting, but having a different teacher for bending sounded foreign to her.

“That would be easily solved if we brought them here.” Sokka argued, but it had the air of someone who knew the argument had been lost before it began.

“And expose our hiding place?!”

“You can use that argument for earthbending masters that live close too, Katara. We have to make a decision about this someday.”

“Korra hasn’t mastered waterbending yet.”

“She’s close, Katara, don’t pretend she’s not.” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Besides, she should be working on more than one element at a time.”

“She firebends.” Katara muttered.

“Yes, she has done that since she was five. But without training and that’s only a danger, you remember how Aang was with firebending.”

“Of course I remember, he burned _me_ , not you.”

“Then you know how important a good teacher is.”

“Finding a firebending teacher is an even more ridiculous idea than finding a earthbending teacher.”

Sokka kicked a pebble in frustration, it landed uncomfortably close to Korra’s hiding place. “Well, you seem to want neither.” He gave her a dark look. “I understand why you’re scared. I am too. But our goal isn’t to keep Korra safe and locked up in a swamp her entire life. We saved her not only for her sake, but for the sake of the whole world.”

“She’s so young, Sokka, she’s not ready.” Katara now sounded resigned, like she knew Sokka was right.

“She’s the same age Aang was.” Sokka said, his voice now gentle. “You know that. And I’m not saying we throw her directly in front of the Fire Lord, but we have to start.”

“Maybe.” Katara muttered. “But not yet, maybe Bumi will show up.”

Sokka shook his head. “Still no word of him, the Fire Nation probably killed him years ago. I know Aang had his heart set on him, and that you did too, but he’s not around.”

There was a silence then, as both siblings were lost in their own thoughts. Korra’s head was swimming, she couldn’t believe all the information she had just learned. Sokka agreed with her, at least somewhat, about her being like a prisoner. He wanted her to learn earthbending. She had moved a little bit of earth a few times, throwing a few rocks around, but like with her firebending, she didn’t know any of the moves. Fire came a little more natural to her, but it also had the tendency to explode in her face, so she had used it less and less as she learned to control her waterbending.

Suddenly, she realized that this is what she wanted, desperately wanted. She _wanted_ to learn the other elements, she wanted to help people the way the Avatar was supposed to. She needed a teacher, and if they tried, she was a sure they would find one that wouldn’t turn her in to the Fire Nation. Katara didn’t seem willing to even risk it, and while Korra was touched that she wanted her to be safe so badly, she was more annoyed at being held back.

Katara and Sokka were no longer speaking. Katara was writing in the journal she’d been keeping for as long as Korra could remember and Sokka started polishing his weapons.  
  
Remembering her cover story, Korra realized it would look suspicious if she returned without any possum chickens. She winced in pain as she got up, her leg really did cramp up, but she made no sound. She took her dagger and started the hunt, but her mind wasn't focused on what she was doing. Instead, it was going over everything she had just heard, and coming up with a plan to get what she wanted, what she needed. Not just for herself, but for the whole world.


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn’t until a few days after she had overheard the conversation between Katara and Sokka that Korra found an opportunity to talk to Sokka alone. Katara usually stayed close to them both, and most of Korra’s days were filled with training.

So when Sokka offered to take Korra deeper into the swamp to on a hunting trip, she agreed eagerly. They gathered their weapons and both kissed Katara on the cheek before they left.

They had been walking for a while, and had already caught a few birds, when Korra finally found the courage to bring up what was on her mind.

She tried to be casual about it, but her voice betrayed her slightly. “Sokka, when do you think I’ll start learning a new element?”

He raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her. There was a beat of silence before he cracked a grin. “Korra, did you eavesdrop on our conversation?” He asked, his tone of voice making it clear he knew the answer to that question.

Right, that was a bit too much of a coincidence. Or maybe he just knew her too well.

“Maybe.” Korra muttered, lowering her gaze. “I was just curious.”

Sokka nudged her with his elbow. “You’re a sneaky little swampbug. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Katara.”

“You didn’t answer.” Korra said, under her breath. She knew Sokka about as well as he knew her, and she could tell when he was trying to distract her with jokes.

Sokka sighed. “Right, I know.” He said, turning serious again. “I don’t know, Korra. Katara is against it, as you probably heard.”

“But why?” Korra prompted. “I have to learn, right? I want to learn!”

This made Sokka smile slightly. “She’s just careful with you, she loves you.”

Now Korra felt bad for resenting her, she shrugged quickly. “I love her too, but I she’s smothering me.”

“That’s what she’s good at, yeah.” Sokka said softly. “She means well, but I agree. You need to learn these things, especially because you can’t hide forever. You need to be able to defend yourself if things ever go wrong.”

Korra nodded. “Right! And I can’t stay here forever.”

“Eager to get out, huh?”

A guilty shrug was all the answer he needed. He ruffled her hair slightly. “I understand, Korra, you’ve been here for a long time. I wish I could take you along sometime, but that would be dangerous.”

“But it’s not like people can see I’m the Avatar.” Korra muttered, a little disappointed.

“Well, any waterbending children around your age will probably be under suspicion.”

“But I could disguise myself!” Korra’s voice rose in her desperation to make him understand. “We could pretend to be Earth Kingdom citizens, just for a little while.”

Sokka shook his head. “I’m sorry, kid, but we need to save the risk of you being noticed for times where we really need to leave and be out in the open.”

Korra frowned. “But we never really need to.” She muttered angrily. “I just want to see something other than mud, water, and plants.”

“I know.” Sokka sighed. “But Katara is probably right. he usually is.”

He held some vines up so Korra could pass under them easily, looking down at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, but it’s important to keep you safe.”

“Blah blah.” Korra said, turning away. “I’m special and they all want me dead, I know the drill.” She crossed her arms, looking down. “Can … can you leave me alone for a little while, Sokka?”

This made Sokka hesitate for a moment, but he eventually nodded assent. “Alright, but don’t go too far off. We don’t want someone from the swamp tribe to mistake you for food.”

Rolling her eyes, Korra nodded. “Whatever.” She muttered under her breath.

This seemed to be enough of an answer for Sokka, who gathered the possum chickens they’d caught and gave her a salute. “Be back before dinner.” He cautioned. “Or Katara will find you.“

Korra answered with a weak smile and watched him walk off.

Now, she had some exploring to do, and fast.

\---

Asami Sato had been in Gaoling for exactly two days, two hours, and thirty one minutes, and she had hated every second of it. She missed their home back in the Fire Nation, she missed the friends she’d had at school, and she missed the smell of spicy Fire Nation food hanging in the air as she walked through town.

More than any of that, Asami missed her mother. It didn’t matter that it had been three years since her death, leaving the home she had lived in felt like a betrayal to her mother’s memory. Her father didn’t see it like that. Even if he had, Asami knew that the temptation of more money to be made and status to be gained in the colonies was too much for him to resist.

He’d tried everything he could to make her like their new house. It was bigger than the last one, built especially for them. Asami had an enormous bedroom, a closet that could hold way more clothes than she would ever need, a private room for training, and even a swimming pool. Her father had promised she could have anything else she wanted, no matter the price. She had wanted to tell him that all she wanted was to go back home, to the smaller house where her mother had read her stories, back when her father had never been too busy to spend time with her. Instead, she had hugged him and thanked him brightly.

In Asami’s opinion, their new house looked silly. It was done completely in a Fire Nation style, almost aggressively so, and it clashed with every other building in the town that was built in an Earth Kingdom style. She knew the choice was deliberate, but it only served in making her feel more like an outsider than she already did. It was also the biggest house in the town, as long as you didn’t count the Beifong estate.

Back in the Fire Nation, people would greet her on the street, smiling as she passed. Here, on the few trips she had made into the town, they avoided her eye and avoided going near her, like she carried some contagious disease. It had taken the fun out of exploring the town pretty quickly, which was unfortunate because shopping could usually cheer her up.

Another thing that could usually cheer her up was helping her father with his inventions and working with him on something new. But he was busy with the new factory, making sure it was built properly. He was so busy, in fact, that Asami only saw him once or twice a day. There were servants in the house that made her food and cleaned her messes, but they weren’t much fun to talk to. So she spent the first two days miserable and alone, and vowed to herself that she would do something fun on the third day, no matter how hard she had to look for it.

That’s how Asami found herself wandering away from the town, into a sprawling grass field. Here, at least, nobody looked at her like she was evil. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand why the ex Earth Kingdom citizens were wary of Fire Nation people, but they surely accepted by now that they had become a colony to the Fire Nation. Asami couldn’t remember a time before the war, she hadn’t even been born yet, but her teachers had taught her that the Earth Kingdom had been a poor, desolate place with inferior technology before the Fire Nation had taken them under their wing and had enlightened the rest of the world with their knowledge. Asami knew that wasn't entirely true. The Fire Nation was superior, she didn’t doubt that, but the buildings that had been here before they came didn’t look primitive to her. She knew there had been a lot of fighting in the war, and it wasn't strange that the people native to the Earth Kingdom resented that and had to get used to the new Fire Nation citizens before they could accept them. But she also knew it would only be a matter of time before they would learn to respect it and see that they’re better off now, after all, the Fire Nation had the best technology in the whole world, and now the colonies would too.

Asami looked around. She was standing in the middle of the field now with some small hills around her. If she turned back, she could still see the town of Gaoling in the distance. She knew that her father wouldn’t approve of her straying so far from home, but she felt suffocated and it wasn’t like he was paying attention anyway. He would spend the entire day at the factory again, like he had the previous two days.

Asami decided she enjoyed the peace here outside of town and kept walking, feeling a slight breeze stir the strands of hair that weren’t tied back in a ribbon. In the distance, she saw a big mass of green surrounded by large hills and outcroppings of rock. Curious, she walked closer. She had heard two of the servants talk about the nearby swamp, and Asami was wondering if that’s what she was seeing. The servants had even said there were strange people that lived in its depths, but neither of them seemed to fully believe it.

If this was truly the swamp, Asami decided she needed to get closer and take a look for herself, if only to see how different the nature here was than what she was used to. It was a way to spend her time, and maybe her father would actually notice her absence this time. That thought filled her with a determination she couldn’t ignore. With one last glance behind her, Asami headed in the direction of the trees she could make out in the distance.

\---

Korra knew she had to be quick, if she wasn’t back before dinner, Katara really would go searching for her. If she found Korra this close to the edge of the swamp, she knew she would be in big trouble. But the sense of adventure and the excitement of doing something she wasn’t supposed to do kept her going with an eagerness she hadn’t felt in a while. Korra wasn’t entirely sure what she would do if she found the edge. Probably nothing, she didn’t think she was brave enough to actually venture outside, but the possibility of even seeing outside of it excited her. It didn’t matter if all she would see was grass or dirt, it would be something different.

The ground beneath her feet slowly got less and less wet the more she walked. The grass got less high, the trees turned thinner and were spread further and further apart, and before she knew it, she was standing at what she judged to be the edge of the swamp. It wasn’t as clear a line as she had imagined, but the surroundings looked less familiar and she was suddenly gripped with doubt as well as wonder. In front of her were grass fields surrounded by hills that made it impossible to see the nearby city. She could see some stone cliffs in the distance and an occasional shrub or tree. It was so different from the swap, yet disappointingly similar. Korra held tight to one of the few remaining familiar swamp trees as she gazed out into the distance, wondering what was beyond the horizon.

It might have been her own imagination that kept her from noticing the approaching girl until it was too late, because she wasn’t blending in with her surroundings in the slightest with the bright red of her dress. Thinking back later, Korra would never understand why she hadn’t noticed the girl before she had noticed her, but that was how it happened. Once Korra finally realized a stranger was wandering dangerously close to her, she had already spotted her and was gazing at her in wonder.

Korra felt a jolt of fear, her first instinct was to turn and bolt. Even if whoever this girl was was planning to follow her, Korra would probably lose her easily in the swamp. It didn’t matter that she was now in less familiar territory than where she usually was in the swamp, she still knew it better than some Fire Nation girl, she was sure of that.

Because that’s what she was, Korra knew, even if she only judged her by the red of her dress. Katara had said that red was the color of the Fire Nation, and no Earth Kingdom citizen would be caught wearing that color now. It wasn’t like an Earth Kingdom girl would have been safe to run into, but a Fire Nation girl was definitely a worse danger.

Still, if she turned and ran now, like she desperately wanted to, the girl could still go back to her Fire Nation parents and tell them what she had seen. Would anyone know? Suspect who she was? Korra couldn’t be sure. She realized with no small amount of fear that she had no idea about what other people thought or what they did. She didn’t know if people were still searching everywhere for the Avatar or if the other girl would shrug it off and go on with her life. She didn’t know if the girl’s father might be a soldier that would come to burn down the entire swamp if it meant that he would find her. All she knew is that it was possible, and if it was possible, it was a threat. Not only a threat to her own safety, but also that of Katara and Sokka, and possibly the other people that lived in the swamp. Her guardians had been right, it was reckless to venture out of the swamp. Here, in the middle of nowhere, she had run into another person, and she now had no idea what to do.

The strange girl was staring at her, some of the awe in her expression now replaced with simple curiosity with maybe a hint of fear. They were both silent for a long time, neither seeming sure of how to proceed.

“Do you live here?” The dark haired girl finally asked softly, her voice faltering slightly as if the words were uncertain about leaving her lips. She looked a tad anxious after speaking and glanced around, like she was making sure they were alone.

“Not here, somewhere back.” Korra heard herself reply. “There’s more people, lots, they’re strong.” She added quickly. It wasn’t that she was scared of this girl, not exactly, but she wanted her to think twice about trying to follow her into the swamp. Not that she looked like she would last long there, with her pretty dress and bow in her hair. Looking at her strange clothes made Korra realize there was something else she felt about the girl, besides fear; curiosity. Hadn’t she spent many sleepless nights wondering what it was like to live outside the swamp, in a real village? Finally there was someone here who could give her some answers, someone new she had never seen before. She’d be a fool to run as long as the girl wasn’t a threat, and she didn’t look like one.

The girl was peering into the swamp behind Korra uncertainly, like she didn’t quite believe anyone would live there. “Oh.” She finally said. “I thought that was just a story.”

“We don’t usually come out a lot.” Korra said, crossing her arms. “But I can, because I’m not scared of anyone.”

The girl looked faintly amused at that, some of her apprehension disappearing. She looked at Korra for a silent moment.

“I can see that.” She said finally. “What is it like, living in a swamp?” She paused, looking at the mass of trees behind Korra. “This is the swamp, right?”

“What is it like, living in a town?” Korra shot back without answering her question. She wasn’t sure where she stood yet, but she wanted to be the one asking the questions.

“Maybe we should start with our names.” The girl said, also not answering her question, Korra noted with some annoyance. “I’m Asami, Asami Sato.”

Korra was silent for a moment, weighing the possibilities in her mind. As far as she knew, nobody knew the name of the Avatar was Korra. But at the same time, giving a fake name would probably be safer. She wondered for a moment what Katara or Sokka would advise her to do, but then realized that would be to run away and tell them what happened, which she didn’t feel like doing in the slightest. The feeling of rebellion that had sent her off this way in the first place came back in tenfold and Korra leaned casually against the tree, folding her arms. “I’m Korra.” She paused. “Just Korra.”

Asami gave a pretty little smile that Korra somehow suspected was trained. It made her wonder what a genuine smile would look like, it made her want to see. Honestly, she had no idea how to make anyone smile, anyone that wasn’t Katara or Sokka, at least, but she wondered if she could. First, she decided to sate her curiosity some more, choosing a simple question from the thousands that were crowding her mind at the moment.

“How old are you?” She asked, trying desperately to sound casual instead of hungry for any information this stranger had to give.

“I’m thirteen.” Asami answered. She looked casual too, but Korra noticed how her hands were bunched up in her skirt nervously. “You?”

For a brief moment, Korra considered lying and telling her she was thirteen too. But she didn’t want to lie. This was the first person she had met in a long, long time. It was special.  “Twelve.” She paused. “And a half.”

This made Asami smile again and Korra smiled back automatically. “I’ve never met someone from a town before.” Korra heard herself say before she could stop and think about her words. “Is everyone dressed so impractically?”

Asami’s smile widened and it made Korra feel giddy. “Not everyone, I suppose.” She said, after thinking. “But most people wear different clothes so it’s hard to compare, the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom styles are different.” She looked at the clothes Korra was wearing, the strange mixture of Southern Water Tribe and Swamp Tribe. Unsurprisingly, Asami looked puzzled. “I’ve never seen that style before.” She said, her curious gaze fixed on the necklace around Korra’s neck.

Korra resisted the urge to hide it under her shirt, or to cross her arms in front of herself defensively. She shrugged, glancing down. “This is normal for swamp people.” She said evasively, hoping the girl would take her word for it.

“Alright.” Asami glanced around again. “I don’t think my father would like it if he knew I was talking to someone like you.” She said, sounding almost apologetic.

“I feel like my… parents,” Korra felt herself stumble over the word, she had never quite considered them her parents, “would feel the same way.” She smiled again, hoping to coax another from the dark haired girl. “So maybe we shouldn’t tell them.”

Asami bit her lip for a moment before nodding. “Alright, but I don’t know if I can stay long before he misses me.”

Korra winced. “Oh, yeah, me too.” She said, realizing she had quite a distance to walk before she arrived back home. “I have so many questions.” She muttered.

“Me too!” Asami said eagerly, taking a small step closer to Korra. She seemed to realize she had done so only a moment after, and blushed slightly, looking down at her feet for a moment. “Maybe we could meet up again? I’ve been hoping to make a friend since we got here.”

“You haven’t lived here long then?” Korra asked. Then she could have kicked herself for asking such an obvious question. Hadn’t Sokka said only the night before that many Fire Nation citizens were moving into the town? Asami didn’t realize it was obvious, though, she simply nodded. “Most people there don’t like me very much.”

“Maybe because you took their land.” The words were out before Korra could stop herself. She never had to think about what she said much before as there were no secrets in her little family. At least, she had thought so until Katara sent her away last night to talk in private. Seeing the stricken reaction on Asami’s face let her know that she had said the wrong thing entirely.

Asami spoke before Korra had a chance to take back what she said. “ _I_ did not take anyone’s land or anything else.” She said, putting her hands on her hips angrily. “We just bought a house. We’re not soldiers.”

Korra quickly nodded. “I know. I just meant--” She rubbed her face nervously. “I only meant that they might see you like that. To them, everyone in red looks the same.”

This made Asami’s anger flow out of her, she just seemed slightly hurt now. “But we’re not. We just live here.”

Korra only nodded silently, having run out of words.

An awkward silence fell between them until Asami spoke again.

“I… I think I should go back now, it might take me some time to find my way home.”

Korra bit her lip. “Right.” She said softly. Of course, she had _one_ chance to get to know someone outside of the swamp, and she ruined it. Korra could have kicked herself, and nearly did. If only she had more practice talking to people. Not swamp people, real people, like this girl in her dress with her nice voice. But now it was too late, she was running away and probably wouldn’t even look back.

Asami surprised her. “When can we talk again? Maybe I can come earlier, find some excuse, we could talk more.” She hesitated, apparently realizing that she had been making assumptions. “I mean, if you want to.”

Before Asami could change her mind, Korra nodded eagerly. “Tomorrow around noon?” She asked, her mind already rapidly trying to come up with an excuse she could use the next day.

The other girl nodded too. “I’d like that. I don’t know if I can get away, I’m sorry if I can’t.”

“I don’t know either.” Korra admitted. “But if we miss each other, we can try again the next day maybe.” She wasn’t sure if this was too forward, and watched Asami’s reaction carefully.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to see anything wrong with what Korra said. “Alright.” She said, smiling shyly. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Korra.”

Hearing her name from someone new was more exciting than it probably should have been, and Korra tried hard not to let it show on her face. “See you! Be careful walking back.”

This made Asami smile again. “I think I should be telling you to be careful. I think your walk back is probably more dangerous than mine.”

“That’s alright, I know the swamp like my back pocket.” Korra boasted, puffing up her chest. “You’re new, so don’t get lost.”

Asami giggled a little. “I won’t, thank you.” She bowed in a way that was unfamiliar to Korra. She tried to return it but felt like she probably messed up. If she had, Asami didn’t comment on it.

They both waved, a little awkward in their goodbye, and then went their own way. Neither girl thought about anything but their meeting for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by [Rowan](http://archiveofourown.org/users/pootje/pseuds/pootje)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I think the next few chapters will be faster because I've decided where I want the story to go. I hope you enjoy it!

Over the next few weeks, Korra met Asami at the edge of the swamp a few more times. Each time it became harder and harder to hide from Katara what she was doing, but she never once considered stopping. It felt bad to have to lie, but knowing that Katara would never allow her to see her new friend again gave her enough reason to. Now that she knew what it was like to have a real friend her age, she never wanted to be lonely again. 

To throw off any more suspicion than there already was, Korra had decided to wait a little while before meeting up again. Asami agreed, seeing as her own situation was making it harder and harder to sneak out at their agreed times as well. It was still really scary to wait for her friend to show up after not seeing her for two weeks, and Korra couldn't help but worry that Asami wasn't going to show up.

But she had, Korra had settled high in a tree to get a better view and saw her hurrying from the town in the direction of the swamp. It made her feel giddy to think that the other girl was just as excited for their meeting as she was.

By the time Asami arrived at their usual spot, Korra had both feet on the ground again and was waiting for her friend. Asami’s cheeks had a pink glow from the way she had ran part of the way to the swamp, and Korra thought it made her look even prettier than usual. She was wearing a green tunic, different than her usual red dresses, and it also made her look nice.

One of the most striking differences between her and Asami was that Asami wore different clothes to every meeting they had. It struck Korra as impractical. In her eyes, there was no reason to have as many different articles of clothing as Asami seemed to have. All you needed was two pairs of clothing, one to wear until it got dirty and another to wear while you're washing the first pair. She had wanted to ask Asami about the different clothes she owned and their purpose, but didn't want to appear as if she didn't understand something that seemed to be so normal to her friend. Asami had never commented on Korra unchanging apparel either, and for that she was grateful.

Noticing the attention Korra was paying to her clothes, Asami smoothed down the front of her tunic in a way that seemed self conscious. “Do you like it? I bought it in town, I was hoping to blend in a little more when I went into town…” Judging by the tone of her voice, it hadn’t been completely successful.    
  
“It looks nice.” Korra said after a pause. “I like green.”   
  
Asami brightened up a bit at that. “Thanks. Oh! Before I forget, I brought you something.” She rummaged through a bag at her hip and pulled out a paper bag.    
  
Korra moved closer curiously, a slight frown on her face. “What’s that?”   
  
“Fireflakes.” Asami said cheerfully as she deposited the bag into her hand. “Try some.”   
  
Curiously, Korra nudged the bag open, revealing strange looking red flakes. She took a little sniff and furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar smell. At Asami’s encouraging nod, she picked one out and hesitantly put it in her mouth. Immediately, her eyes widened and she spat it out again. “It’s HOT!” She gasped, wiping her tongue with her hand. For a moment it had felt like she was breathing actual fire, but Asami would probably have looked a lot more shocked if she had.

Instead, she looked a little nervous, like she was scared Korra was going to get angry at her. “Well, they are a little spicy… but once you’re used to it, I promise they’re quite good.” She said, playing with her long hair.

Korra frowned, eyeing the little bag suspiciously. “Why would anyone eat something that feels like fire?”

“Because some people like it! It’s very popular in the Fire Nation.” Asami said, starting to sound more defensive. “There’s lots of different foods in town, and I just wanted to show you something you wouldn’t get here in the swamp.”

“If it all makes my mouth burn I don’t want it.” Korra snapped, feeling foolish. She wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be a prank or not, and it made her irrationally angry.

“I was trying to be nice.” Asami said, crossing her arms.

Korra snorted, dropping the bag onto the ground dismissively. “Food is supposed to taste nice, not hurt your mouth.”

Stooping to pick up the bag, Asami looked disappointed. “I just wanted to show you something. You said you didn’t want to come to town so I wanted to bring some of it to you.”

Now Korra felt a bit guilty. She had said something like that during one of their meetings, but she didn’t realize how badly Asami wanted her to come.“I didn’t say I didn’t want to.” Korra muttered. “My … my parents won’t let me, okay?”

“Well, why not? It’s close and it’s not even close to being as dangerous as the swamp.” Asami frowned, clearly not getting it.

Korra didn’t feel like explaining, so she focused on something else.“The swamp isn’t dangerous. Not really.”

“Neither is Gaoling.” Asami said definitively, putting her hands on her hips, refusing to let Korra change the subject.

“I’ll ask.” Korra relented. “But they probably won’t let me, especially not alone. And I also can’t tell them about you cause they wouldn’t like it, so it’s not like we could go together or anything either.”

“I don’t think my dad would like it either.” Asami sighed. “It’s getting harder to sneak out. But it would still be nice to see you around, and to see what you think about the stores and the people… we’d have something new to talk about.”

Did that mean Asami was starting to think she was boring? Korra felt worry creep up on her. During their meetings they’d had long talks about their own lives, and Korra had told her all about the swamp and even a little about Katara and Sokka. In return, Asami had told her about her life back in the Fire Nation and her own parents. Had they been running out of things to talk about? Korra hadn’t noticed, but she didn’t want Asami to get bored with her.

Then there was the fact that she  _ was  _ curious about the nearby town. Hadn’t she begged Katara to let her go there before she had even met Asami? It would be amazing to see more people, to see the real world instead of nothing but trees and the two people in the world that she already knew. Maybe there were more friends waiting out there, or someone willing to teach her earthbending without telling Fire Nation people who she was.

“I’ll really ask, alright? I’ll try.” She said. “Next time I’ll let you know how it went.” She couldn’t help adding, hopefully ensuring that there would be a next time.

Asami smiled and popped a fire flake into her own mouth. “Maybe you’ll see food you do like.” She said lightly, cheered by Korra’s willingness to try.

Korra smiled in return but then heard something that made her entire body tense up. She straightened and cocked her head, trying to make sure she had heard it right.

There it was again. Far away, deep in the swamp, she could hear a voice shouting her name. It was Katara, no doubt about it. Korra met Asami’s eyes, and saw that the other girl had heard it too. “Go.” She mouthed, waving her away. Korra had made it clear to her that if Katara ever caught them together, they wouldn’t be able to meet ever again.

Korra nodded and waved quickly before turning and heading back into the swamp, hoping Asami wouldn’t linger either.    
  


\---

Katara was really starting to get frantic as she called out Korra’s name for the third time. When Korra had left an hour ago, she had already felt like the girl was a little too eager to get away, but then had let Sokka convince her that it was natural for a girl her age to want some time to herself. Now that they had looked at all the usual places Korra would go and had failed to find her, even he was starting to get worried, she could see it on his face as he walked behind her. It didn’t make her feel better, she would have preferred for him to be right.

Her own worry was starting to be replaced by genuine panic. Had Korra ran off? But why? Katara had told her about the dangers and while Korra could be headstrong, she wasn’t absolutely reckless. Had she been taken? Had someone seen something that made them suspect who she was? There were dozens of possible scenarios playing in Katara’s head, each worse than the one before. None of them had seem likely before, but right now they all seemed like real possibilities.

Then, miraculously, she heard a voice call her own name in return. “Katara!” Korra called, sounding fairly nearby. Katara could have sobbed in relief, instead she rushed to the sound of her voice, Sokka on her heels.

She found Korra in a tree, holding onto a vine. She slid easily onto the ground and looked up at the two adults with a frown on her face. “Why were you shouting?” She asked.    
  
Katara didn’t know whether to hug the girl or strangle her, and settled for a tighter hug than was probably entirely comfortable. She pulled back to look Korra in the face. “Where have you been? You said you were gathering herbs, but then were gone for so long that I went looking for you and you weren’t anywhere near the usual spots.” She frowned, looking Korra over. “And you don’t have any herbs on you.”   
  
Korra squirmed under her gaze. “I was just distracted, I went for a walk first, it’s not a big deal.”   
  
“You know we get worried.” Sokka said, moving closer to them. “You know you have to tell us where you’re going.”

  
“I was just taking a WALK!” Korra protested hotly. “You’re always making such a big deal out of everything!”   
  
“You know why we do that.” Katara said, trying to keep her own temper in check. “I know it feels unfair, but you know why it’s important that you stay safe.”   
  
“There’s a difference between safe and trapped.” Korra snapped, her anger building. “If you really want to know, I was there, in that tree, trying to see what the town looks like because you’ll never ever let me any nearer to it and I’ll stay in this swamp forever until we all DIE.”    
  
There was a stunned silence after her outburst, Katara and Sokka exchanged a look.   
  
Korra wasn’t finished. “Because that’s what will happen, isn’t it? I know how to waterbend but you will never let me learn any of the other elements and I’ll never be able to DO anything about the bad Fire Nation people that are everywhere! Eventually they will come here too and then they’ll find us and I won’t be able to fight them and it’s all your fault!” 

The last statement was directed at Katara, as Korra’s glare indicated, and it hit home. She had known, of course, that her protectiveness was counterproductive. She had told herself that she would just wait one more year, one more month, one more week, ignoring each time that more people died and suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation the longer she waited.    
  
Before Katara could say anything in return, before she could even really form the words, Korra started talking again. “I’ll be over _there_.” She said, pointing at a nearby tree. “If you need to know where I am at all times.”   
  
“Korra--” Sokka started to say something but the girl ignored him, turning around and climbing nimbly into the nearest tree. She hopped from one tree to the next until she was out of sight. Neither sibling stopped her.    
  
Korra’s words seemed to linger in the air around them. Katara turned to her brother. “She’s right, isn’t she?” She asked, the words sounding small.    
  
Instead of answering, he drew her into a hug. “We’ll have to make some plans.” He murmured against her hair. “Start small, get her used to things outside the swamp. It won’t be dangerous, but she’s right. We can’t keep her safe and away from the world.”   
  
Releasing him, Katara wiped her eyes with her hand. “We’ll talk to her.” She said softly. “Maybe she should see the town, see how things are. Maybe I should as well.” It was the first time she really acknowledged that she hadn’t been out of this little part of the world for as long as Korra had been, that she was just as sheltered. The world had disappointed her, taken away her hope, and she had turned her back on it. She couldn’t hide any longer, and neither could she keep Korra hidden. It was time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Whoops I just deleted this one by accident, sorry!)
> 
> So after saying I would write more, I actually didn't. So sorry! Life happened. I wrote a short chapter this time to get back into it, I hope to get more into the meat of the story soon.

Today was the day. Today was the DAY! Today Korra was finally going to see more of the world. It still seemed unreal, like a dream. After her outburst a few nights ago, Korra had been sure Katara would lock her up forever. She had pictured her mentor trapping her in a large ice bubble to keep her safe and away from the world, now that she knew how much Korra wanted to leave. But instead the opposite had happened. Instead of being angry of forbidding Korra from ever leaving her sight again, Katara had come down to talk to her quietly. The memory of her sad eyes was still fresh in Korra’s mind. Korra had been so angry, angry in a way she didn’t think she’d ever been before. But after only a few of Katara’s words, her anger had been soothed away like an ache healed by her waterbending. It had quickly been replaced by astonishment. 

\---

“You’re right.” Katara had said that night, her hands folding and unfolding in her lap as she looked down at them. “You were right, you do need to get out of this swamp. You do need to learn the other elements. The world does need you.” Her voice wavered slightly on the last sentence, as she looked up to finally meet Korra’s astonished gaze. “But I need you too, Korra. I love you. You don’t know how scary the world can be, how hard.”

“I don’t know because you’ve never shown me.” Korra muttered, she tried to inject some of her anger into her voice but she mostly sounded sullen. “Katara, how can I help people in the world if I’ve only even met a handful? I don’t know what people do or what they’re like, I don’t know anything.”

“I know. Sokka and I have discussed it. He… He suggested we take it slow, small steps.” Katara said slowly. It was enough for Korra, she knew exactly what would come next. Katara would suggest some solution that wasn’t a real solution, something small. But again, Katara surprised her. “I think we should visit Gaoling, together. We’ll be in disguise, of course, and we’ll have a cover story--” 

Before Katara could finish her sentence, Korra had thrown herself into her arms. It was everything she had hoped for, and she clung to her friend and guardian. “Thank you!” She said eagerly. “Oh, thank you!” 

Her enthusiasm seemed to have surprised Katara a little, and it took her a moment to wrap her arms around the young girl in return. “We’ll have rules.” She said softly. “And you’ll have to listen to me completely.”

“Of course!” Korra said, pulling back from her tight embrace just enough to look up at Katara. “I’ll be good, I promise. Can we go to shops? Can we buy food? Can we?” 

Katara’s face softened and she smiled down at Korra. “We can probably fit that in.” She said, hugging Korra close again. Her arms tight around the young girl, as if she’d rather keep her there than ever let her go. 

\---

That had been days ago now, and Katara had delivered on her promise. They now had disguises, a cover story and a plan of what exactly they would do in Gaoling. It wasn’t nearly as much as Korra really wanted to do, but it was a lot more than she ever expected to get. There was one thing nagging at her, though. “Can we really not take Sokka with us?” She asked, turning to Katara again. 

A sigh was her reply. Katara was busy brushing out her hair, untangling the messy knots that were a result of living in a swamp. “I told you, Korra.” She said, her voice patient. “He has been in town before, he might be recognized and then someone might remember us next time they see him in town. It’s best if we aren’t connected to anyone.”

“But we could say we’re his sisters, both of us!” Korra was playing with the hem of her new tunic. She knew she was fighting a losing battle, but this was such a special moment and she wanted both Sokka and Katara to be there with her. Secretly, she also hoped they would run into Asami, she wanted them all to meet and get along. Though, she reminded herself sternly, if she did run into Asami she would have to pretend not to know the other girl. She hoped she could remember. 

Katara just shook her head. “We can’t. You know Sokka agrees.” She said, and Korra knew she was right. Sokka told her soon after they started planning to let Korra visit Goaling. He’d then left to buy them disguises in another part of the Earth Kingdom, to assure no one would remember someone recently buying those clothes. It all seemed a bit much to Korra. Would anyone really remember some clothes? Would anyone care enough to take note? It was hard to believe, but she didn’t argue with either sibling. She knew better than to question a gift like this.  
The tunic she was wearing looked a little like the one Asami wore the last time they talked. It was nice, bright green with a darker border and a sash around her middle. She also had dark green pants and even a pair of brown shoes. Korra rarely wore shoes, and she hadn’t put her new ones on yet. If she did that now, they would just get muddy. She could see her reflection stare up at her from a nearby puddle.Her hair had been washed and pulled back into a knot on top of her head. While she was normally covered in a healthy layer of mud, she was now scrubbed clean. It looked odd, like she was a different person, but she also noticed that she looked a little bit more like Asami this way. It was nice, knowing that her friend was out there and maybe she would get to surprise her by suddenly appearing in the town. 

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a hand on her arm. Katara was finally ready as well. She looked completely different too, and Korra stared at her in awe. She was /beautiful/ this way, like she was meant to look like this. Instead of a tunic she was wearing a green dress with similar colors to Korra’s clothes, but with some more pretty details. Her hair was long and wavy and free of any tangles or leaves. Katara smiled at Korra knowingly. “Quite different, isn’t it?”

Korra didn’t get the chance to answer as Sokka appeared from between some trees. He waved and walked up to them and smiled. “You two look fancy. Buy me something nice when you’re out there, alright?” He grinned at Korra and reached down to mess up her hair, pulling back at the last moment because of Katara’s withering glare. “Don’t you dare.” She warned. “You don’t want to know how long it took to fix up her hair. Korra nodded in agreement, pulling a face. It had been torture to have someone tugging at her hair like her life depended on it. 

Sokka laughed and held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I’ll wait until you’re back.” He winked. “But I’ll mess it up extra, alright?” Korra grinned at him and he put his hand on her shoulder. “Your ride is ready, my lady. Let’s go, Appa is waiting.”

With a whoop, Korra ran ahead of Sokka to greet her furry friend. She loved Appa, and she loved to climb onto his back and feel his soft fur. Until today, however, she had never flown on him. The swamp was hard for Appa to move around in without getting stuck, and he wasn’t often here because it would be too easy to track Korra if anyone saw the giant animal land in the swamp. Someone Sokka knew took care of him sometimes, but Korra didn’t know any details about that. All she cared about right now was getting to fly, getting to see the world. 

It seemed a little silly to her, though, that they would need to fly to Gaoling. As Asami had proved, it was in easy walking distance. But as another security measure, Katara and Sokka had decided that they would enter the city from the opposite side, so they wouldn’t be connected to the swamp in any way. Again, Korra didn’t know if this was necessary or if the danger was slightly exaggerated. She wished desperately that she could make that sort of judgement on her own, but she was always dependant on others for knowledge about the outside world and the Fire Nation. But not much longer, soon she would be an expert on everything outside the swamp, she would see it all for herself.

Appa was waiting for them in a relatively clear part of the swamp, where the trees weren’t as thick. Korra let out a loud whoop and started to run to him, her shoes still clutched in her hand. “APPA!” She shouted as she ran up to greet the large animal. She embraced one of his enormous legs, burying her face in the soft fur. Appa made a low sound in greeting and leaned down to lick. She giggled. “Nooo, Appa! My hair is all neat, see?” She told the animal as she deftly avoided his tongue. 

Katara and Sokka soon followed and helped her climb on top of Appa. He was wearing his saddle, and Korra felt a bit disappointed that she wouldn’t be sitting on his soft back. It was safer, though, and easier. 

Sokka was sitting on Appa’s large head, two reigns in his hands. He looked back at Korra and gave her a wink. “You ready?” He asked her. At her nod, he made a dramatic flourish with his hand before saying in an equally dramatic tone: “Appa, Yip. Yip.” 

At once, Appa took off into the air, making a sound that sounded like delight. It was his nature to be in the sky, Korra realized, and keeping him in a swamp, even for a short time, wasn’t very nice to the animal. The swamp was quickly shrinking beneath them as they rose past the trees. Korra couldn’t help looking down, her eyes wide and nervous as she gazed at the only home she’d ever known. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than for Appa to go back down. Had she really wanted this? Had she been the one that wanted to leave? It was so safe down there, so green, so familiar. Nervously, she turned her head to look at Katara. Her mentor was next to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll be back before you know it.” She said gently, and Korra was immensely grateful. Katara could have offered to take her back, and Korra would probably have agreed in this state, but she clearly knew that they had to do this, just as Korra did. 

“Now hold on, I have to make a cover.” Katara said, removing her hand from Korra’s shoulder. She moved to the center of Appa’s back and stood firmly. Korra couldn’t help imagining what would happen if she herself tried to stand right now. The air was moving around so much and so was Appa, she was certain she would fall over and topple off the animal’s back. Katara started to move in a familiar way, she looked like she was waterbending. But aside from the waterskin at her belt, there was no water around. Was there? Before she could ask, the answer to that became clear as the clouds in the air around them started to move. Korra watched with wide eyes, her mouth agape. Of course! Clouds were made of water, Katara had told her that before, but she had forgotten until now. In the swamp, the sky wasn’t visible all the time, and there had always been water everywhere. Around them, the clouds started forming a protective shield, hiding them from sight. As effective as it was, Korra quickly realized the downside of this shield. Her brief glimpse of the outside world was now obscured by a white mist. No matter how hard she squinted, she could no longer see more than a vague outline of the ground below them. She sighed and crossed her arms. Soon she would be on the ground, but for now she would still have to wait a little longer to really see anything. The rest of the world better be worth it.

\---  
Gaoling  
Whenever she wore her cloak, Toph was no longer Toph. She was The Blind Bandit, and she had no parents. She had no house, no past, no legacy, no one to disappoint. All she had was freedom, or at least the illusion of freedom, and her vengeance. 

Her rebellions were small if you looked at it on a grand scale, but she knew it was helping. The Fire Nation soldiers nearby were having trouble getting supplies, found their roads turned to rubble and their men disappeared in the night. Toph smirked to herself as she walked in the shadows near the edge of town. They thought there was a group of rebels, a whole force. But Toph was all alone. The Blind Bandit. And soon, she would strike again. 

She’d been able to feel the faint rumbles from the other side of town, it had been a constant noise in the background. And every time she had come near, it was like it had overtaken all her senses. The new factory that had been built was bigger than anything the Fire Nation had tried so far. They had worked on it for weeks now, and Toph knew that she couldn’t let it happen quietly. Every tiny vibration had meant it was growing, a place more weapons would be built to slaughter her people. It was quiet now, though, finished. She had heard the rich Fire Nation scum that owned this factory was planning a grand opening later in the day, letting the new Fire Nation citizens that were taking over the town see the inside. No Earth Kingdom people were invited in, obviously, for fear of sabotage. 

It was tempting to break open the earth and let it swallow the factory whole. Let them all feel her anger, feel her helplessness and feel the pain and suffering these tyrants had brought to the Earth Kingdom. But no, not yet. She would have to be patient. She wanted it to taste as bitter as she possibly could for this man and what he stood for. For now, she would return home. But it filled her with satisfaction to know that his grand, triumphant opening today would go in a different direction than anyone would expect. And then she would go, she had lingered here long enough, stifled by her parents. She would leave them in the mess they had made by not defending themselves, by going along with it. Toph would go, she would fight their oppressors in any way she could. It may be hopeless, but she wasn’t going to give up until she was dead. This was her land, not theirs. And the Fire Nation would know her name.


End file.
